I'm starting my undergrad in software engineering this September, having just finished high school. I've been reflecting on the idea that many people self-learn programming and that true practical experience comes from internships. I genuinely enjoy math—I've already completed part of the standard undergraduate math curriculum during high school. My concern is whether I should consider specializing in math instead, since the tech field seems crowded and I could benefit from higher theoretical skills rather than technical ones.
I'm aware that software engineering involves understanding design principles and various computer science concepts like operating systems and computer architecture. However, I find I'm progressing through my textbooks on networking, digital design, algorithms, and others much quicker than with math. I've already applied my networking knowledge to build an SMTP server and experimented with digital design in LTSpice. I'm practicing algorithms on Leetcode but I'm still trying to find the practical use for some of the resources like the Dragon book, although I hope it helps with machine learning optimizations later on.
My main questions are: do tech internships value math students less than those with a CS/software degree? Would switching to math be beneficial, or should I stay on the engineering path? What skills might I be missing to compete? Ultimately, I want to know if having a CS-related degree offers a significant advantage, or if math majors can still find tech jobs with some extra effort.
1 Answer
Absolutely, you should definitely dive into math if you're considering machine learning! The coding aspect is only part of it; the math background will be crucial. You'll want to focus on multivariate calculus, linear algebra, probability theory, and possibly discrete mathematics and differential equations, depending on your goals. And trust me, understanding the math behind algorithms can really pay off—it's a lot of fun to apply your skills in real-world scenarios!
Thanks for the advice! I love the depth of math and find joy in the proofs and discoveries. So you're saying it's definitely worth investing time in math for ML? That's reassuring!