3 ms·

I did a PhD in pure math and now work for a big tech company. Having the PhD will get your foot in the door basically anywhere, so you'll at least make it to th

I did a PhD in pure math and now work for a big tech company. Having the PhD will get your foot in the door basically anywhere, so you'll at least make it to the screen, but ultimately you have to pass the same interview as anyone else. That means doing LeetCode and reading Yegge's stuff etc. If your goal is to maximize lifetime earnings, a PhD is maybe not the right choice, but if you want to spend years studying something you love while financially breaking even then go for it. I definitely don't regret it, even though I would be worth a lot more if I had gone into tech straight out of college. Btw, finance is also a common destination for pure math PhD's looking to leave academia.

cadeira 8y ago
Thank you. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. I’m more interested in studying math than maximizing my income, but post-graduation opportunities is a concern, since I’m not well off. Your reply gives me the encouragement I was looking for to pursue my passion. Thank you.
- gautamdivgi 8y ago
  To add to the discussion. I did a CS PhD with a statistical bent. It's served me well. However, I would see if an MS provided you with equivalent benefits from a career standpoint. Very few companies do "research". And if you're in the US, unless you acquire funding with yourself as the PI its going to be impossible to find an academic position.
soVeryTired 8y ago
> I definitely don't regret it, even though I would be worth a lot more if I had gone into tech straight out of college. My take is that life is ultimately about taking the chance to do interesting things when they crop up.