Ask HN: Next steps after CS bachelor – more math, ML, or physics?
I'm a 22 y/o computer science student finishing my bachelor this semester with a 3.8/4 GPA. I've always been good (not great) at math and felt CS lacked more mathematical depth. This led me to take many theoretical modules on ML/DL, and I did my bachelor thesis on a deep learning topic. Given the current state of the tech sector and the difficulty junior devs face finding jobs, I'm trying to decide what to do next and would appreciate advice. My options are:
Master's with focus on ML/DL, including additional math modules Bachelor's in Mathematics Bachelor's in Physics
Some context: I'm from Germany, where there are currently over 250k Computer Science students. AI is advancing and increasing existing dev productivity. Several friends of mine are struggling to find jobs, with some receiving offers around 35k yearly.
Any insights on which path might be more valuable in the current market? Work on developing professional / non-academic connections. aka ACM, IEEE, local 'clubs/organizations', relevant open source projects. This provides broader exposure to those looking to hire while also building one's credentials / show casing what interested in applying degree to. Demonstrates knowledge of how to use academic credentials outside of academic setting. Insite: Everything else being equal, is someone one knows/familiar with someone's work more or less likely to hire an unknown or someone who's work/project(s) is familiar/known. I went the reverse getting a BS in Physics and getting serious experience in aerospace. Later the computer science skills developed and I did get a MS in Operations Research. My last job before retirement was a serious data science/data engineer position and the US west coast salary was great (1 day job offer, top salary). I thought so much of data science had gotten dumbed down and was easily performed my anyone w basic ML skills. In my role, the physics was a great differentiator in understanding the nuances of more complex problems we were working on. This was issues related to optics, electro magnetics, three dimensional movements, etc. so, I seemed to end up directing a whole bunch of data scientists on various efforts.
With the current situation in the US, I suspect there will be more defense work in the European countries, so I’d embrace something like a physics degree if you could find the opportunity.