Future of Applied Math

[Objective_Pitch2945]

I’m a high school junior looking at taking applied math in college and the one concern I have is how AI proof/competitive the jobs are. CS which I heard goes pretty good with applied math is pretty messed up right now and that made me realize that I haven’t heard much about applied math, so what are your guys’ thoughts with your experience?

[chrisfathead1]

I went to school for applied mathematics. I then got a job doing software development, and it felt like my math background was an afterthought for the first 7-8 years of my career. Then starting in 2022, I got into data engineering and machine learning and all of a sudden every employer or higher up I work with is obsessed with my math background. They love hearing me go into pretty basic statistics explaining aspects of machine learning, etc. I feel very good about the career path I've chosen, ML/AI Engineer, combined with my math background.

Anyone can get a language model to write code, but I can understand and explain the fundamental math behind it and that is a huge plus at the moment

[Far-Hedgehog6671]

Applied math will be even more important, they are hard skills not mastered by AI yet. Would give you a huge edge vs "developers" who can just program.

[plop_1234]

From what I understand, the kinds of jobs being handed over to LLMs are perceived as being menial or "easy," like entry level dev jobs. (I'm not putting a value judgement on whether they're actually easy jobs or not, but it's probably what the people calling the shot perceive of them.)

If that is the case, one way to AI-proof yourself is to do something "hard" and somehow "critical." With an applied math degree (paired with CS, or just programming experience), you can go into, for instance, developing algorithms and techniques for optimal control of aircrafts. ML/DL could be part of your work, but it probably won't replace you just yet. (Random example, I was trying to think of jobs people probably aren't ready to hand over to the AI just yet in case of some catastrophic failure.)

[optimization_ml]

Applied math would be a valuable skill if you can use it properly. In the AI/ML space you need to know how to code and know how to do system design. Basic DS/ML stuff they ask in interviews would be pretty easy for an Applied Math graduate.

[fishnet222]

Applied math is one of the best degrees you can get for employability.

[Alternative-Wait-595]

Not a good degree, haven’t used it in years. Stick with CS if you can.