r/math • u/AutoModerator • 2d ago
Career and Education Questions: October 15, 2026
This recurring thread will be for any questions or advice concerning careers and education in mathematics. Please feel free to post a comment below, and sort by new to see comments which may be unanswered.
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u/AuroraCatgirl 1d ago
it is like almost 1am, so ngl not a great time to like do anything that verges on late night thoughts (tm) but wanted to get this out
I started studying at uni this year. I picked math instead of computer science because I decided that I could learn coding a lot easier than math without the help of a uni and good teachers. With a month now, I can confirm that this is true. (I also just do enjoy math a lot, even more now in uni.)
But, I also picked it because it seemed safer than CS in the age of LLMs, and the recent developments show that no, math is also getting outscaled by LLMs to the point where they are proving things that weren't proven before.
And now, post a midterm I got, I am using LLMs to fact check my answers and also help me in just searching and making sure that I understand the concepts I am learning and using. Not even as a way to research or understand, but just as a "do this exercise" so that I can check if I did it correctly and got the right answer.
I feel kind of lost. I still plan to finish this year of the degree since I do enjoy Math (like I am just beginning to understand linear algebra and OMFG it is so smart and so cool), but is there a point to it tbh?
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u/falalalfel Harmonic Analysis 2d ago
does anyone know any good references for learning about Hausdorff dimension & measures? beyond textbooks. I am struggling with understanding a lot of the intuition.
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u/RedMax2001 2d ago
I graduated with my master's in mathematics a few months ago. I had initially intended to proceed with pursuing a PhD in math, but the doubts this would be the correct choice began piling in by the end of my program: my particular passion for math began narrowing down onto my own personal growth and engagement with math, rather than contemporary research; to this end, the program developed my capabilities for independent study, and I already have some experience with the academic publication pipeline having some small publications of my own, so doing a PhD wouldn't have been novel in that respect; and I came to realize how much "busy" work is involved in academia that I find too unappealing for the amount of financial support I could expect as a PhD student.
And this was all before AI really began to be at the headlines for controversy in the mathematics community. I personally am reluctant in getting AI involved in things I take pride in being able to think about for myself, but I'm not opposed to adapting around it for the sake of my future career. I have no comments about AI in so far as the benefit and detriment it causes to mathematics as an art and as a profession.
Anyways, I am at a bit of a loss with what to do with myself post-graduation. I know math can fit into a lot of areas, but my struggles in finding employment give me the impression that my education can't compensate for my complete lack of professional experience, especially since I studied only pure math like algebra, algebraic topology, and logic. I am willing to pick up more skills in my free time, but I'm struggling to come to a commitment to any particular field to pivot into. I don't have any strong interest anywhere that's not pure math, and I'm mainly concerned with securing my career.
What are recommended fields to pivot into that salvage my skills as a pure mathematician or, at the very least, value my background as one?
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u/_Zekt Complex Analysis 1d ago
I think that you can still go for a PhD in pure math. You'll get funding for a few years, and that will give you time to weigh your options. And then, the PhD will always be valuable even if you want to pivot.
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u/RedMax2001 1d ago
I've considered this option. I made an application to the PhD program I was attended for this academic year (I only applied to that university due to circumstances) and ended up getting rejected. I would have gone through it with this exact purpose in mind, but that wasn't an opportunity afforded to me.
I'm trying to pivot into industry now since it will be hard to coast financially until I begin receiving such funding, and that's not even accounting for the costs of making said applications. I need something to secure my finances to comfortably explore careers, and I prefer it to be something that will lead to further professional development or, as I said, be something that values my skills as a mathematician so that whoever's hiring me nor I have to make any significant investments into something that will be temporary.
I'm also hesitant on making PhD applications in general since the impression I got from that ordeal is that my chances of getting accepted are extremely low unless I express specific interest for the work of a specific professor.
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u/Penumbra_Penguin Probability 2d ago
The usual options are stats, finance, data science, machine learning, etc. Some of these might require more or less retraining depending on your current skills.
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u/Useful_Vacation3362 2d ago
Why is it harder to go into industry after spending time in academia? Why wouldn't people just go in to industry first, earn a bag, and then go back to academia?
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u/Penumbra_Penguin Probability 2d ago
Academic jobs are quite competitive. If a university is choosing between someone who’s spent five years doing research or someone who’s spent five years in finance, they’re going to choose the first person.
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u/Useful_Vacation3362 2d ago
Yeah, but the reverse is even harder. And one pays $$$ and the other peanuts
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u/LaVieEstBizarre Control Theory/Optimization 1d ago
Academia to industry is not harder than the other way. Nearly anyone in academia can get an industry job with some self study, good presentation of their skills, and enough time. The vast majority of PhD grads do that after all. It's hard to get into academia even if you've just finished your PhD at a reputable institution - nigh impossible after some time in industry unless you had a research position where you were publishing, or pick an unstable lower rung like adjunct or teaching focused roles at small colleges.
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u/PaymentFamiliar375 7h ago
I’m an 11th Grade student and I’ve always dreamed of studying mathematics (though not necessarily being a mathematician) since I’ve always been fascinated with all problem solving, puzzles and just the rigor of it all, it’s by far always been my favourite subject at school. However, recently with the developments in ai I’m starting to worry that a math degree even from a very prestigious university might not be worth very much by the time I graduate, and as much as I like math, I’d like a job too. Should I go forward with my ambition of studying math or is it safer to try to pivot to something like engineering? Also, how are career mathematicians generally coping with these new ai developments, since I know they’ve certainly had a bit of an impact on my mental health recently and left me feeling a bit confused overall about everything. Many thanks!