What would you major in if you could?

[Anonymous]

Sociology. It explains the world.

[Anonymous]

Accounting

[Anonymous]

Personally, economics would be interesting. Practically, data science or cyber would be useful.

[Anonymous]

What exactly in data science?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mapping. Probably has a technical name but I love everything about the idea of maps linked to databases.

This is what I do! The major would be Geography or Cartography. What you’re describing is GIS, Geographic Information Systems.

Meant to add, even better major wise would be a degree in CS with a minor or double major in Geography.

This is essentially what my son is doing -- Computational Modeling & Data Analytics (basically a blend of CS & statistics) w/ a GIS concentration.

This sounds amazing but does it involve a lot of calculus?

[Anonymous]

Engineering for job security.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Engineering for job security.

I think the problem is that so many people who aren't even interested in engineering now see CS or other types of engineering as a refuge.

In reality, people who go into fields like that have to love what they're doing so much that they keep on updating their skills, on their own time, for fun.

People who go into tech for the money might luck out and become happy middle managers when they're in their 40s, but, if they can't get those kinds of jobs, or deal with teaching high school math, they may end up being people who are used to earning $150,000 per year and end up having trouble getting any job at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sociology. It explains the world.

If I could get another Ph.D., it would be in Sociology or Social Anthropology. What motivates people and how they organize themselves around their beliefs is just fascinating!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mapping. Probably has a technical name but I love everything about the idea of maps linked to databases.

This is what I do! The major would be Geography or Cartography. What you’re describing is GIS, Geographic Information Systems.

Meant to add, even better major wise would be a degree in CS with a minor or double major in Geography.

This is essentially what my son is doing -- Computational Modeling & Data Analytics (basically a blend of CS & statistics) w/ a GIS concentration.

This sounds amazing but does it involve a lot of calculus?

Yes, lots of math. Calculus 1-2, a couple math modeling classes, a couple "integrated quantitative sciences" classes (calc 2 is prereq for those), Linear Algebra. And depending on elective choices can either take more from the math/stats side or more from the CS side. He loves math and maps.

[Anonymous]

Biology — the future lies in trying to figure out soiutions to the problems we’ve created. Physics and biology are key to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What exactly in data science?

It's basically helping organizations make sense out of large data sets.
And nearly every organization these days has big, messy data.

Wikipedia's definition: Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract knowledge and insights from noisy, structured and unstructured data, and apply knowledge and actionable insights from data across a broad range of application domains..