4 ms·

Hey I'm just replying because I currently have a BSc with Honors in math and a double major with econ but I'm having trouble in the current market. I also am in

Hey I'm just replying because I currently have a BSc with Honors in math and a double major with econ but I'm having trouble in the current market. I also am interested in pursuing a master's in combinatorics or optimization. Is there anything you recommend besides not getting the PhD?

mjburgess 2y ago
What is your ideal career in 10 years: topics, day-in-the-life, talens you're using, etc.? Work backwards, check those jobs exist, look at what qualifications they'd benefit from
- epalarepa 2y ago
  I know it goes against the thread but I am considering a career in academia. I'd like to become a Prof if possible. If that doesn't work out then a job that allows me to solve interesting math problems everyday. I was thinking optimization research but maybe not from how this thread is going. Besides that working for Renaissance tech or a similar company also interests me.
  - mjburgess 2y ago
    I'd strongly encourage you to leave academia for at least 2 years, preferably a little more -- and go intern, or work at, at least 2 or 3 different companies. This will benefit your mental health, working practices, and sense of perspective. Academia is full of superstitions and misunderstandings about 'industry', and is an ideologically closed system designed to present itself and its practices as of the highest value. Including, as mentioned here, hijacking 'industrial values' (such as utility, applicability, etc.) and presenting itself with them. This is in part a straight deception: academics need to lie about this to governments and other funding agencies in order to get funding. And in part naivety, their sense of 'application' is so far removed from any, that they are poor judges of it. Enabling these deceptions is, of course, that academic output does occasionally have an impact over longer time horizons. But it is more the case that something written ~30 years ago will today find some use by a small team somewhere -- which might have a lot of impact, but isnt on the scale or time lines you'd need for your research today to give you an ROI. Indeed, as you'll see if you're in industry long enough, there is often something very suspicious and deceptive about the values of various research communities. Even when researchers are told: no one cares about this, this does not have the value you say it does, this isn't a real problem etc.-- they continue. Why? Because they aren't interested in solving problems people have, they are interested in whatever puzzles are current within their community. If you want to solve real problems using research, it is better to go out and undertand what problems people actually have, then go back into research aiming to help them.
    - graycat 2y ago
      There's "The business of America is business."

mjburgess 2y ago

What is your ideal career in 10 years: topics, day-in-the-life, talens you're using, etc.? Work backwards, check those jobs exist, look at what qualifications they'd benefit from

epalarepa 2y ago
I know it goes against the thread but I am considering a career in academia. I'd like to become a Prof if possible. If that doesn't work out then a job that allows me to solve interesting math problems everyday. I was thinking optimization research but maybe not from how this thread is going. Besides that working for Renaissance tech or a similar company also interests me.
- mjburgess 2y ago
  I'd strongly encourage you to leave academia for at least 2 years, preferably a little more -- and go intern, or work at, at least 2 or 3 different companies. This will benefit your mental health, working practices, and sense of perspective. Academia is full of superstitions and misunderstandings about 'industry', and is an ideologically closed system designed to present itself and its practices as of the highest value. Including, as mentioned here, hijacking 'industrial values' (such as utility, applicability, etc.) and presenting itself with them. This is in part a straight deception: academics need to lie about this to governments and other funding agencies in order to get funding. And in part naivety, their sense of 'application' is so far removed from any, that they are poor judges of it. Enabling these deceptions is, of course, that academic output does occasionally have an impact over longer time horizons. But it is more the case that something written ~30 years ago will today find some use by a small team somewhere -- which might have a lot of impact, but isnt on the scale or time lines you'd need for your research today to give you an ROI. Indeed, as you'll see if you're in industry long enough, there is often something very suspicious and deceptive about the values of various research communities. Even when researchers are told: no one cares about this, this does not have the value you say it does, this isn't a real problem etc.-- they continue. Why? Because they aren't interested in solving problems people have, they are interested in whatever puzzles are current within their community. If you want to solve real problems using research, it is better to go out and undertand what problems people actually have, then go back into research aiming to help them.
  - graycat 2y ago
    There's "The business of America is business."