There are options for math majors, including government work and research. However, these options are relatively limited, and are certainly not limited to mathematics majors. The real issue is that the overwhelming majority of "quantitative" jobs are out of reach to many undergraduate mathematics majors... not due to lack of skill or ability or poor decisions, but because they just chose the wrong major.
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<p>Were you a math a major before you became a "cs prof"? ;)</p>
<p>wow your story reminds me of myself 2 years ago, so I can totally relate to your experience. I graduated college with a pretty good GPA (3.8) from a pretty good school. But I majored in bio sciences. I had a tough time finding a job, I ended up getting a job 3 months after graduation which pays about $14/hour (so you're better than me actually). My friends who are in CS with GPA less than 3.0 got a job 1 week after graduation with salary around $60k/year. Man I was jealous, questioned where's the fairness in all these but it made me realize life is not fair. You gotta game the system, don't be a naive idealist. You gotta grow up. Then I decided to go to school again but this time I decided to study CS. The result is pure awesomeness, I was able to get jobs easily, for this summer I have multiple offers for internship and decided to work for Google. I am pretty sure the job outlook is quite bright in the future. So my advice to you is go to school, major in CS. You're a pretty smart guy so I'm sure you can get better jobs later.</p>
<p>pearlygate, I've also thought about going back to school. But what I want to know is, how does a math major, or a bio sciences major in your case, goes back to school to study CS? </p>
<p>Is it a matter of going to undergraduate/graduate school to get a bachelor's/master's degree in CS? If it's the latter, what are the prerequisites? Or are we talking about taking night classes at the local state university/community college?</p>
<p>If you don't me asking, what school did you go to? If you don't want to say the name just say something like 'top20'.</p>
<p>
[quote]
pearlygate, I've also thought about going back to school. But what I want to know is, how does a math major, or a bio sciences major in your case, goes back to school to study CS?
[/quote]
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<p>Lots of school do not require an ug in CS for you to get a MS in CS and MS in Engineering. It may take you a little while longer to graduate than the people with UG in CS but it's possible. Please do some research.</p>
<p>Go to grad school and get into accounting.
Go to law school (you have a 4.0; if you get a high LSAT, I'm sure you'll get into great law schools). I heard lawyers get paid well.</p>
<p>
[quote]
To enter the CMU MSE program you must have:
1. Two years experience working in a significant software development project (if you do not have at least two years experience, you may qualify for the Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT-SE) degree)
2. Knowledge, at least at the level of an undergraduate course, of discrete mathematics, algorithms and data structures and programming languages
3. Skills in programming-in-the-small, as well as competence in using an imperative block-structured or object-oriented languages such as Java, C++, Pascal, Modula2, Ada or C
4. Practical knowledge of programming methods and computer organization
5. In-depth knowledge of at least two of the following topics:
compiling techniques
comparative programming languages
operating systems
database systems
[/quote]
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<p>Columbia_Student, I don't qualify for the CMU MSE program. Back to step one: given my major, who is going to hire me to do a job where I'll have the opportunity to work in a significant software development project? I'll consider myself lucky if someone hires me to work in an insignificant sofware development project.</p>
<p>That is just one example, you need to do more research and be more proactive. I know in the past one friend of mine who did not have an engineering background for undegraduate but she got into a Master degree for Engineering(not sure which school). Please check out BU for instance. There are lots of colleges out there. For example, CMU is begging people in my company to apply there. They desperately need people. </p>
<p>PS: I do have a friend with an UG degree in Math and was accepted to Stanford Master program in Computer Engineering. She did not have any work experience. In fact, she went to medical school for one year and quit.</p>
<p>You can also take some of the pre-reqs for MS CS at 2-year community college. Of course, you can go to your local state schools, it does not have to be any brand name nor private colleges. For example in CA, we have the Cal State system. You can get accept into these state schools and get your master degree in CS, which is much cheaper. An undergraduate math degree is good enough to get into any MS CS or MS EE or MS CE.</p>
<p>
[quote]
pearlygate, I've also thought about going back to school. But what I want to know is, how does a math major, or a bio sciences major in your case, goes back to school to study CS?</p>
<p>Is it a matter of going to undergraduate/graduate school to get a bachelor's/master's degree in CS? If it's the latter, what are the prerequisites? Or are we talking about taking night classes at the local state university/community college?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I think this has been answered by Columbia_Student. Just want to add, with background in Math you might be able to skip some math prerequisites like discrete math/number theory/probability and statistics, etc etc. You can take preliminary CS courses like java/C++/data structures in community college or local university (but avoid those online degree like Devry, ITTech, etc they suck and expensive). Go to your local library, research which CS program may fit your needs and email the admissions officers if you have any questions. The truth is, I had to take all these prerequisites since I have zero knowledge of CS when I started so you might be better than me.</p>
<p>seriously this is what you want to do, this is a mathematical masters in finance... over 60% of people who go into financial engineering, or computational finance come from math or engineering Background.</p>
<p>you do not have to attend cmu to get this kind of salary, but aim to apply to a school in newyork for the most chances of landing a job out of school.</p>
<p>One thing about the software engineering and programming worlds is that there's a lot of opportunity to get experience and an education. The open source community is generally looking for free (unpaid) help and it's a good way to get experience while you work your regular job. And it can be addictive.</p>
<p>As far as learning goes, it is possible to do it on the cheap if you have the determination. Ars Digita University puts out course videos, syllabi, problem sets and exams for an abbreviated CS program. ADUni.org:</a> ArsDigita University Alumni Website</p>
<p>MIT Open Courseware has videos on a few CS courses.</p>
<p>I work in a building full of software engineers and most have at least a graduate degree in CS. One guy I know has a Phd in English but he's a brilliant engineer with patents to his name. There are others scattered around with non-traditional degrees.</p>
<p>If you like discrete math, you might consider going for an MSCS if that's an option for you.</p>
<p>Our son is going for a CS degree at a third-tier school. He gets job postings left and right for internships, part-time and full-time jobs. We've been looking pretty hard for CS Majors (Phd or MSCS or EE) and it's hard to find them in the Northeast. CS enrollments dropped sharply after the internet bubble crashed and finding grads in the US has become difficult.</p>
<p>Our son was interested in a dual-major with math as he finished all of the CS math requirements by the first semester. But he may be interested in finishing in three years so he's pushing CS hard right now.</p>
<p>Also try to make the most of your current job.</p>
<p>I find that people are too optimistic when they tell me of all the jobs I can do. Yes, I have my degree in my math, but before I get a job doing math, I am going to be grilled heavily. They are going to ask me math questions, and if I don't know the answers they'll probably chuckle and send me on my way. I know, because I've been there. I had an A in my statistics class, but when I interviewed for a position that involved a lot of statistics, I didn't make it too far into the interview process because I failed the second statistics question they asked me, and it wasn't supposed to be a tricky question or anything like that.</p>
<p>I also failed a pre-interview programming quiz at a telecommunications company, so I never got called for an actual interview. Top 40 school, 3.5 GPA, decent major: no, the interviewers are not the only ones chuckling.</p>
<p>Can you use the job placement office at your school to feed you offers or do they offer access to the alumni network to help in looking for jobs? Do you live in an area where the economic prospects aren't that good? Perhaps grad school would help.</p>
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Can you use the job placement office at your school to feed you offers
[/quote]
My alma mater has no job placement office. They have a career center, but they only offer general guidance and advice; they don't help people find jobs.</p>
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[quote]
or do they offer access to the alumni network to help in looking for jobs?
[/quote]
I haven't explored my school's alumni network, but I'm pretty sure they have one.</p>
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[quote]
Do you live in an area where the economic prospects aren't that good?
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I live in a major metropolitan area. If I can't find a job in this area of the country I don't think I'll be able to find one elsewhere.</p>
<p>I feel sad. I am on my way in Math Major, and after reading this, i feel tragic for myself.
Mr.Moire (I am assumming you are a male), everything that you described yourself could fit exactly who I am now. No social skills, not interested in law and med schools, not being capable to any oral presentation, disliking statistics, etc.
basically, I am good at nothing but doing math, pure math, theorical math, a socially inept nerd
I am in my second year, that means I still have 2 years more to get the BS. Now I am having a mood of pessimism. Please give me some advices</p>
<p>ajoke, I'm sorry to hear my thread made you feel sad.</p>
<p>My advice for you is the following: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Make sure you do an internship. You have two summers ahead of you, do whatever it takes to find an internship. If you lack the initiative and the research skills to find an internship, I suggest you find an agency that helps college students find internships. I'm pretty sure such agencies exist; it's a matter of finding them. Search on the internet, go to the career center, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Double major in math and some marketable subject that you can tolerate. You have two years ahead of you; you might still be able to squeeze in the courses required to major in some other subject.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I don't know what else to tell you. I could tell you to change your attitude and become more social, but I know from experience that doing those things is not easy. I suggest you start by making baby steps. Like it or not, you are gonna have to go to a job interview one day, and interviewers are usually not very fond of one-dimensional math geeks like you and I.</p>
<p>Another thing you could is get a summer job. Work at a factory, at a restaurant, anywhere. You want to have something to write on your resume.</p>
<p>1) A startup usually pays much less because they are probably giving you stock options too. Switch companies if you want higher pay.
2) Easiest is to get a certificate in a programming language or OS. There are tons out there. Just pass a test.
3) Try cryptography. It is highly mathematical and many CS people can't do the math. Plus people are so security paranoid these days about identity theft etc. Fraud detection is another area that relies on mathematical analysis. Go to work for a credit card company, a check clearing house, a bank, etc.</p>
<p>Cryptography is good for those into number theory and abstract algebra. But math majors typically don't have the CS theory courses needed for research and development. But it wouldn't hurt to try. RSA Security, recently bought out by EMC, is located in Burlington, MA.</p>
<p>1) make the effort to obtain the skills you need to get the type of jobs you want.</p>
<p>Complaining about the jobs you are not qualified for is not going to make you qualified nor will it change the requirements for those jobs .</p>
<p>2) work on your social skills and self-presentation skills. From all of your various posts and threads here on CC I get them impression that you may not be putting your best foot forward on interviews. </p>
<p>You might very well be sabotaging yourself, and that would be very sad indeed.</p>