Majoring in CS solely to get a job

[johnqwertyful]

Hrm.. I don't think your interpretation of the statistics is right...

I think with a math degree, you're 7.1/4.2 = 1.69 times as likely to be unemployed. Or... there are 69% more unemployed people with math degrees than there are unemployed people with CS degrees.

Uhh it would be 95.8/92.9=1.03 times as likely to be employed.

So 7/100 with a math degree have a job. 4/100 people with a CS degree have a job. Yes, you are "1.69 times as likely to be unemployed", but that's nothing when you look at the numbers.

 

[johnqwertyful]

Dont you think that many of those math graduates are doing CS or IT? I do. And I think its the CS skills they acquire that makes them marketable.

Citation needed.

 

[Pythagorean]

Uhh it would be 95.8/92.9=1.03 times as likely to be employed.

So 7/100 with a math degree have a job. 4/100 people with a CS degree have a job. Yes, you are "1.69 times as likely to be unemployed", but that's nothing when you look at the numbers.

You can't say 1.03 time more likely to be employed. It's a mixed population, you don't know how to separate it. You don't just do 100-x, you have to know how the total population was divided.

Anyway, when citing one study, grains of salt, please.

This is one source's employment stats for UK:

Computer Science 52%.
Mathematics 34%.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/employment-prospects-ranked-by-degree-813783.html

There's statistics that show Math degrees have a better employment rate too:

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/jul/15/employment-statistics-university-graduates

It's also conflated by the fact that in Canada, for instance, CS is part of the Mathematics faculty.

 

[yungman]

Ha ha! Anyone published anything before must know there are so many ways to nudge the data one way or the other to suit what you want to support. Science is not exactly science. As people get into advanced science, it is no longer black and white, just different shades of grey...say politics.

Only true statistic is when you sent out a resume and see whether you get any response!

 

[Pythagorean]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies,_damned_lies,_and_statistics

and my favorite particular instance of this:

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/308269/

 

[trickslapper]

Hello,

I am a second-year student studying mathematics at university. But give the pure nature of the subject, I have always worried about being unemployed after I graduate. So I thought of majoring in computer science because there are so many jobs in industry.

However, I never liked computers. I actually had nightmares. I can't imagine myself staring at a screen 40 hours a week. I have taken three programming courses to brainwash myself into liking programming, and although I did okay in those, I never had a burning passion for them. Despite I can work in finance or business with a math degree, I don't think the job prospect isn't as good as a computer science major who can get like three offers the moment he graduates.

On the other hand, I am worried about flipping burgers after getting math degree. Also, I it seems like I do not need to work in IT industry with a computer science degree, but I can also get a job in business or finance as a math major would.

So, for those of you majored in CS to get a job, are you happy with your decision?

I look forward to any advice. Thanks in advance.

I started off as a math major and i worried about the same things as you. I was intimidated by all the upper level CS majors and that made me shy to the CS courses. Anyways, long story short I ended up also getting my CS major and that landed me a really nice job within a couple of months of graduating.

So yes, i am very happy with my decision but, I also think that if you just want to do a math major you have to develop some skills on your own to make you marketable. You're probably not going to be solving differential equations with pencil and paper at any job so learn how to use some mathematics software or maybe pick up and engineering minor; etc.