<p>its cuz theyre intimidated and may feel a little bad that they think you have a masochistic psyche</p>
<p>does anyone know how people usually respond to computer science majors?</p>
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That's the most annoying question ever.
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Why, because you have no clue?</p>
<p>Just kidding. If Engineering hadn't been my ticket out of an area I hated I'd have probably done history or something.</p>
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Why, because you have no clue?
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Actually, I'm majoring in Econ with a double minor in Neuroscience and International Relations, and I plan to go to Law school, so I have a big clue. :) Still, it's an annoying question to get asked...not because I mind being asked about my future, but it's the way they say it, implying I'll be flipping burgers. Business, Nursing, Engineering are great for those interested, but I'm personally not into any of them.</p>
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Why, because you have no clue?
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</p>
<p>I know you're just kidding, but you're right lol.</p>
<p>Mmm, your college degrees aren't the same degrees your parents had. A bachelor degree used to be rare and, thus, more valuable to employers. Today, many people are predicting that you're going to need a master's in order to be a competitive candidate. Just something to keep in mind, in case you're a newly-minted philosophy major who thinks they'll be making serious bucks after 4 years in the college system. Of course, this also applies to engineering and science degrees but to a slightly lesser extent since the demand for these majors is usually larger to begin with.</p>
<p>And Molly? I wonder, how do manage to get around campus with such a gigantic chip on your shoulder? Just curious :)</p>
<p>Gigantic chip on my shoulder? All I said is I hate it when people ask me what I plan to do with my life and look down on me for being a Liberal arts major. No, we're not all screwed because we chose to get arts degrees, your major doesn't put you in a box for the rest of my life. And yeah, I do have some idea of what I want to do, and hate it when people imply liberal arts majors are dumb. </p>
<p>I would put a smiley face after my comment, but I realize that making rude comments while being passive-aggresive and asking rhetorical questions isn't particularly witty.</p>
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Gigantic chip on my shoulder? All I said is I hate it when people ask me what I plan to do with my life and look down on me for being a Liberal arts major. No, we're not all screwed because we chose to get arts degrees, your major doesn't put you in a box for the rest of my life. And yeah, I do have some idea of what I want to do, and hate it when people imply liberal arts majors are dumb.
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<p>Oh Molly, this is precisely what people will incessantly go on about with that "chip on the shoulder" deal :)</p>
<p>However, this is just people loving to sound high and mighty to say "whatever, get over yourself." Pretty common thing people do. </p>
<p>Anyway, for what it's worth, I'm [uhm obviously] a math major, and ALSO hate it when people imply liberal arts majors are dumb. No use sugarcoating it, quite a few people are pretty condescending. On the flip side, while pure math isn't the most marketable thing, people to whom I describe what I'm studying commonly are at least impressed in one sense and go: "Oh whoa, math in college is really tough stuff..." -- it's all relative, though. </p>
<p>Too bad most people have such a feeble idea of what kinds of crazy intellectual minds are out there, and how small they really are...pretty ludicrous for technically oriented students to get cocky just for surviving a given major at a reasonably hard school. It's not a bad thing, but it's not THAT impressive to warrant a condescending attitude. Not that world class faculty at top tier schools, though brilliant, should be condescending either...but at the point where you're impressive beyond belief to practically anyone in the world, I start backing off a little :)</p>
<p>It will be needed, but not so useful compared to other majors. Alot of people with math degrees seem to just become math teachers or something :/ but that's all cool long as you can get a job :D</p>
<p>What's with the onslaught of deranged looking smilies?</p>
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Alot of people with math degrees seem to just become math teachers or something
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<p>The reason for this is the incredible difficulty in becoming a math professor, coupled with the fact that most other jobs for math majors, while potentially very lucrative, have little to do with the pure, abstract material in the major. I think quite a few math majors just don't want to deal with less "pure" material, and so teach instead. I've discussed with a few people what'll happen if we don't end up becoming math professors, and quite a few have strongly asserted that they'd rather teach somewhere than do a job that doesn't at all involve the kind of math they love. </p>
<p>But, if math majors are open to other things, they can go to law school (I heard that they do very well on the LSAT), become actuaries, pick up CS, etc. Quite a few things out there for them. The key is that the math major usually isn't as requirement heavy as some other ones (I think), and so it leaves time for one to either supplement with other material or just take more pure math courses.</p>
<p>yep, quite a few options for math majors. they're generally successful in the business world as well, where on-the-job training is common. you don't need a business degree to go into business, but some people seem to think you do. employers just want intelligent, hard-working people - why does the name on the degree matter so much? your math degree shows you could handle a difficult subject at a decent college for 4 years. </p>
<p>my best friend is a math major at an elite school, who before college anticipated grad school, now is reconsidering that strongly because she realizes how difficult theoretical mathematics can get at an advanced level. meanwhile, I have several family members who were math majors and now are in the world of finance, and doing pretty well. my dad was an Economics/Mathematics major and is fond of hiring math majors himself (finance).</p>
<p>All said though, I am heading down the road of grad school, and I'm QUITE confident of it, given I almost didn't even end up doing a math major (despite the fact it was the obvious choice for me) for fear that it'd suck me in -- which it did anyway :) </p>
<p>I guess while theoretical math is "difficult," I'd say it basically depends if it's the most fun thing for you -- if it's natural, generally it's a good way to go, but else, better to keep it a side hobby (all because making it in math academia is definitely something!). A friend of mine is actually an English major, but took some upper division math out of interest. It's not NATURAL to her, so she'd not pursue it as a career thing, but it's great to have as an interest.</p>
<p>I'll be honest, the major issue with loving theoretical subjects like math (as I know firsthand) is that pretty soon, you no longer can do things in the world of finance, etc, so easily because you're "lost" in the theoretical world. I am beyond hope, basically. If you show me an ugly calculus equation, I'll kinda stare at it, then say forget it -- and sorry, everything about practical math tends to be ugly. The beautiful applications of math (e.g. as differential geometry applies to physics) tend to be "useless." I use quotes, because some top minds can actually make a career out of thinking about such things, but the issue is that only a very few with the right connections in academia can make a career out of thinking about wonderful, beautiful, abstract objects. And there's probably a group of people somewhere in between who couldn't take a programming or financial position if they tried, because they're completely not of the mindset. So they kinda complain through life + try to fight the odds. This is probably why some people just don't even bother learning the theoretical subjects even if interested, though as Molly suggests, it's not a bad idea to major in what you like if you can keep yourself sufficiently detached from it.</p>
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it's not a bad idea to major in what you like if you can keep yourself sufficiently detached from it.
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Do you regret getting "sucked" into pure math?</p>
<p>If you're a math major, you shouldn't give a damn what anyone thinks. At least you're initially intelligent. The worst they're thinking while they smirk is that you're a nerd. Nerd is not a real insult, there are worse things people can think about you. It's practically a compliment 'cause you're smart</p>
<p>I know it's not nice to judge people, but speaking from experience and being in liberal arts myself, any idiot can get the degree. I'm mostly talking about the humanities. At least your strength is in math, if your strength is in English it's hard to find a lucrative major you'll do well in and find a job.</p>
<p>Oh, I don't regret it at all -- but, that's partially because I think I made a much more informed decision about my future in theoretical math. I love the subject to death, more and more in fact.</p>
<p>It's just that if you're in the middle ground, still kinda unsure about making it your final career choice, but not liking more practical things, you get stuck in a pretty bad world.</p>
<p>Yeah I should be careful -- I'm not discouraging people from going into theoretical majors, just saying they should be careful to know what they're getting into -- you either have to go ALL OUT or be prepared mentally for the fact that you may not be destined to be a researcher in that field. Maybe an "and" is more in place than an "or" here.</p>
<p>i'm a liberal arts major, and people automatically ask me if/when i'm going to grad school! i ask back why that should be something i would do, and then they're like, b/c you can't really get anywhere with just a bachelors in liberal arts. don't know if it's true, but i don't even know what i would go to grad school for.</p>
<p>^ those people don't know what they're talking about - think about the thousands of college students who graduate each year with a bachelors in liberal arts - do you think they all go to grad school? nah you don't need a masters/ph.d to get a job. most people aren't smart enough or hardworking enough anyway, a BA is fine....if all these liberal arts majors ended up unemployed, we wouldn't have people majoring in liberal arts to begin with.</p>
<p>So, if a kid is "good" at math, not interested in working as a high school math teacher, possibly capable of successfully completing a math degree with decent grades, but not exactly what could be objectively labeled a "math genius," is he better off not studying only math?</p>