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I double majored in the two most irrelevant degrees, philosophy and mathematics. The main skill this has imparted upon me is superhuman-like bullshit detection.

by rdouble 16y ago

I double majored in the two most irrelevant degrees, philosophy and mathematics. The main skill this has imparted upon me is superhuman-like bullshit detection. While useful, this has proven to be rather depressing, as bullshit is in no short supply. If I could do it over again, I would have majored in music.

tpanzarella 16y ago
I would not classify mathematics as irrelevant. Math serves as the foundation for all of science and engineering. I would bet that most CS and Engineering grad students (and industry professionals) wish they had a stronger mathematics background ... even those with strong mathematics backgrounds ;-)
- ido 16y ago
  Can't talk about Engineers, but as a professional programmer of 9 years with many years of undergraduate and graduate (M.Sc) Mathematics education, I must say I rarely/never use any of the math I've learned (at least not something I wouldn't have learned as an undergrad CS major) at work. I have heard your argument very often though, it seems about as popular as the one that states painters benefit from knowledge of Chemistry[1] ;) [1] http://www.idlewords.com/2005/04/dabblers_and_blowhards.htm#6 http://www.idlewords.com/2005/04/dabblers_and_blowhards.htm#...
  - dtegart 16y ago
    As a former automotive engineer, I can say I didn't use my math much either. In fact engineering in my experience was mostly project management, the degree just gave you the background to work with everyone else.
  - tpanzarella 16y ago
    Clearly, it depends on what you do. My experience is quite the opposite of yours. I cannot speak for what you do, but, in my field (robotics) if you do not have a strong mathematics background, you will not last very long.
- rdouble 16y ago
  It was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I have never used anything beyond sophomore linear algebra in my work.
akeefer 16y ago
I did my undergraduate work in philosophy, and I honestly have found it really useful in CS. The ability to break down a complicated argument into small steps that are independently verifiable is very close to the ability required to break a complicated program or operation down into smaller components that are independently verifiable. In addition, philosophy improved the clarity and rigor of my thinking and writing on complicated subjects, and it made me better at presenting my arguments in an unbiased, rhetoric free way that helps get to the right answer, instead of just trying to convince people I'm right. So while the actual content of philosophy classes is pretty much irrelevant to anything in real life, the process of philosophical thinking and writing (at least analytic philosophy) turns out to be very good training for CS and probably a fair number of other things.
- solost 16y ago
  I have had the exact same experience and I highly recommend it especially if you want to go on and get an advanced degree.
djb_hackernews 16y ago
At my last job I worked with a guy who was a water walker when it came to software design and development. He had a bachelors in Philosophy and was still only 5 years in to his career. Was just a smart dude.

by rdouble 16y ago

tpanzarella 16y ago

I would not classify mathematics as irrelevant. Math serves as the foundation for all of science and engineering. I would bet that most CS and Engineering grad students (and industry professionals) wish they had a stronger mathematics background ... even those with strong mathematics backgrounds ;-)

ido 16y ago
Can't talk about Engineers, but as a professional programmer of 9 years with many years of undergraduate and graduate (M.Sc) Mathematics education, I must say I rarely/never use any of the math I've learned (at least not something I wouldn't have learned as an undergrad CS major) at work. I have heard your argument very often though, it seems about as popular as the one that states painters benefit from knowledge of Chemistry[1] ;) [1] http://www.idlewords.com/2005/04/dabblers_and_blowhards.htm#6 http://www.idlewords.com/2005/04/dabblers_and_blowhards.htm#...
- dtegart 16y ago
  As a former automotive engineer, I can say I didn't use my math much either. In fact engineering in my experience was mostly project management, the degree just gave you the background to work with everyone else.
- tpanzarella 16y ago
  Clearly, it depends on what you do. My experience is quite the opposite of yours. I cannot speak for what you do, but, in my field (robotics) if you do not have a strong mathematics background, you will not last very long.
rdouble 16y ago
It was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I have never used anything beyond sophomore linear algebra in my work.

akeefer 16y ago

I did my undergraduate work in philosophy, and I honestly have found it really useful in CS. The ability to break down a complicated argument into small steps that are independently verifiable is very close to the ability required to break a complicated program or operation down into smaller components that are independently verifiable. In addition, philosophy improved the clarity and rigor of my thinking and writing on complicated subjects, and it made me better at presenting my arguments in an unbiased, rhetoric free way that helps get to the right answer, instead of just trying to convince people I'm right. So while the actual content of philosophy classes is pretty much irrelevant to anything in real life, the process of philosophical thinking and writing (at least analytic philosophy) turns out to be very good training for CS and probably a fair number of other things.

solost 16y ago
I have had the exact same experience and I highly recommend it especially if you want to go on and get an advanced degree.

djb_hackernews 16y ago

At my last job I worked with a guy who was a water walker when it came to software design and development. He had a bachelors in Philosophy and was still only 5 years in to his career. Was just a smart dude.