- #1
Poopsilon
- 294
- 1
So I'm getting to the point now where I need to start looking at graduate schools in mathematics. Being a pure math major my original plan has always been to get a phd in pure math and from there attempt to break into academia. But the more I learn about the current academic climate, the more clear it has become that my chances of becoming a tenured professor are slim to none no matter how hard I work or how prestigious of a school I attend.
Thus I've been considering my options for going into industry after my phd, and it seems that the best fit for me would probably be cryptography: it pays extremely well, it appears to use some very advanced number theory ( an area of mathematics I'm very interested in ), and it generally falls under the umbrella of the computer/software industry ( which would be my preferred area to work in ). What I really would like to avoid is getting a phd in math and then being hired for some job that uses almost no math just because of my 'critical thinking skills', and it seems like cryptography is one of the few jobs in the private sector which actually employs a mathematician AS a mathematician.
One of the things I'm trying to figure out is how much of this advanced pure math I will actually get to use, both in completing my phd and in industry. I enjoy both algebraic number theory as well as a lot of the hard analysis techniques found in analytic number theory, and for the practical reasons mentioned above I'm willing to direct these interests towards a phd in cryptography if they can still be part of my life upon applying for jobs in the private sector. I suppose I will also need to start teaching myself programming, which I am more than happy to begin doing lickidy split if I decide to begin going down this path, but I want to know approximately what I'm getting into so I can be relatively sure I won't be disappointed once its too late to change course.
For instance I found a book on Amazon which discusses applications of analytic number theory to cryptography, would employers even care that a potential cryptographer employee had this type of abstract knowledge? Cryptography is completely foreign territory to me beyond the very basics and I haven't been able to find many accessible resources, searching both on google and this forum, which describe the ins and outs of daily life for cryptographers ( with phd's) in the private sector. So maybe some of you could enlighten me or point me in the direction of some good resources on the subject.
Thus I've been considering my options for going into industry after my phd, and it seems that the best fit for me would probably be cryptography: it pays extremely well, it appears to use some very advanced number theory ( an area of mathematics I'm very interested in ), and it generally falls under the umbrella of the computer/software industry ( which would be my preferred area to work in ). What I really would like to avoid is getting a phd in math and then being hired for some job that uses almost no math just because of my 'critical thinking skills', and it seems like cryptography is one of the few jobs in the private sector which actually employs a mathematician AS a mathematician.
One of the things I'm trying to figure out is how much of this advanced pure math I will actually get to use, both in completing my phd and in industry. I enjoy both algebraic number theory as well as a lot of the hard analysis techniques found in analytic number theory, and for the practical reasons mentioned above I'm willing to direct these interests towards a phd in cryptography if they can still be part of my life upon applying for jobs in the private sector. I suppose I will also need to start teaching myself programming, which I am more than happy to begin doing lickidy split if I decide to begin going down this path, but I want to know approximately what I'm getting into so I can be relatively sure I won't be disappointed once its too late to change course.
For instance I found a book on Amazon which discusses applications of analytic number theory to cryptography, would employers even care that a potential cryptographer employee had this type of abstract knowledge? Cryptography is completely foreign territory to me beyond the very basics and I haven't been able to find many accessible resources, searching both on google and this forum, which describe the ins and outs of daily life for cryptographers ( with phd's) in the private sector. So maybe some of you could enlighten me or point me in the direction of some good resources on the subject.