# What do people with advanced degrees in Math and English wind up doing for a living? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 24, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781 "2004-09-24T00:13:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/1 "2004-09-24T00:13:06Z")
Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/2 "2004-09-24T00:18:39Z")
[ol] [li]Teach[/li][quote] Would you like fries with that? [/quote] [li]Go back to school for their next degree[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/3 "2004-09-24T00:19:26Z")
This is the setup to so many punchlines I don’t know where to begin… ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/4 "2004-09-24T00:25:53Z")
#1 true #2 maybe for English, but people with a masters or Ph.D. in mathematics are in a very good place in the job market. Remember, mathematics isn’t about numbers: it’s about rational, deductive reasoning. This skill set is applicable to almost any problem that may arise. Then again, when teaching can provide the ultimate job security, why would you want to do anything else? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/5 "2004-09-24T00:27:24Z")
Although you couldn’t possibly tell from the title [this recent Pit thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=276083) contains numerous posts from English majors discussing their current jobs. It also contains most of those punchlines **Hail Ants** mentions, along with some heated language pedantry. ---
**Author:** ![NewHeart\_Male](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@NewHeart\_Male](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NewHeart_Male)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/6 "2004-09-24T00:32:13Z")
Do you mean only Mathematics, only English, or both? Coz if you mean both I suppose you could always make a decent profit in the porn industry. ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/7 "2004-09-24T00:39:36Z")
> [@NewHeart(Male)](#): > > Do you mean only Mathematics, only English, or both? > > Coz if you mean both I suppose you could always make a decent profit in the porn industry. … huh? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/8 "2004-09-24T00:40:17Z")
People with a strong math background can do finance and computer programming. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/9 "2004-09-24T00:41:48Z")
> [@NewHeart(Male)](#): > > Do you mean only Mathematics, only English, or both? > > Coz if you mean both I suppose you could always make a decent profit in the porn industry. Either Math or English, not both. I can’t imagine the job picture is _that_ bleak. Surely by the time you’ve committed to getting an advanced degree, you’ve got to have some notion of a rational strategy formulated for getting a job. No one can be silly enough to spend the time investment and expense required to get a Masters or PHD in an esoteric speciality, and _then_ look around for gainful employment. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/10 "2004-09-24T01:07:01Z")
I taught English (technical writing and also literature) at university, and ran a technical writing business. I eventually became a litigation lawyer, which heavily draws on my English background. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/11 "2004-09-24T01:43:43Z")
I have a M.S. in Technical Communication (from an English department) and I work in Human Resources. It actually works out pretty well, combined with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. Technical communication/writing seems to be where a lot of English majors make a living. My uncle has a M.S. in Math, he programmed computers for an insurance company. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/12 "2004-09-24T01:48:48Z")
I know a guy with a math degree where I work, a wireless communication firm. He does encryption work for our company. He did take a number of classes that specialized in encryption and number theory. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/13 "2004-09-24T03:37:18Z")
Traditionally, people with mathematics degrees have often gone into fields only tangentially related to high level math. Like computer programming, investment banking, law etc. Traditionally, people with english degrees have also often gone into fields only tangentially related to english. Like fry cook, gast station attendant, walmart greeter etc. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/14 "2004-09-24T04:07:28Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Traditionally, people with mathematics degrees have often gone into fields only tangentially related to high level math. Here’s a prominent politician whose dissertation was titled [On the Jacobson Radical of a Group Algebra.](http://www.genealogy.ams.org/html/id.phtml?id=6597) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/15 "2004-09-24T04:16:49Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Here’s a prominent politician whose dissertation was titled [On the Jacobson Radical of a Group Algebra.](http://www.genealogy.ams.org/html/id.phtml?id=6597) Hmm… IIRC Chalabi is also (allegedly) a notorious, world class scam artist. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/16 "2004-09-24T05:04:29Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Hmm… IIRC Chalabi is also (allegedly) a notorious, world class scam artist. That bastard told me he’d write _me_ a dissertation on Jacobian Radicals for $40.00 and a Starbucks double latte, but the bastard skipped out with the latte. I wonder what he’s up to now… ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/17 "2004-09-24T07:18:21Z")
I’ve worked with several \*uber-\*genius math wizzes – guys who think getting a PhD is slumming – doing \*uber-\*advanced work developing new computer algorithms, primarily in military applications. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/18 "2004-09-24T07:21:08Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Just curious. They write computer manuals, natch!! :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/19 "2004-09-24T12:46:27Z")
I got to masters degree level in both English and Maths – I was torn for about 10 years deciding which one I preferred, and finished up studying both. I then became a librarian, and I’ve found both useful in my work ever since. (It really does help as a librarian if you know some stuff outside the humanities) ---
**Author:** ![Mathochist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c89c15/32.png) [@Mathochist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mathochist)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781/20 "2004-09-24T13:01:12Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Either Math or English, not both. I can’t imagine the job picture is _that_ bleak. Surely by the time you’ve committed to getting an advanced degree, you’ve got to have some notion of a rational strategy formulated for getting a job. No one can be silly enough to spend the time investment and expense required to get a Masters or PHD in an esoteric speciality, and _then_ look around for gainful employment. Oh, quite to the contrary. While I knew before high school that the ivory tower was the lifestyle for me, many of my colleagues entered graduate school precisely as a delaying tactic. Admittedly math at my school relatively easily leads to academia, so it becomes its own rational strategy. Honestly, in this job market why would anyone who’s got the chops for grad school want to go up against everyone else in trying to get a “real job”? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-people-with-advanced-degrees-in-math-and-english-wind-up-doing-for-a-living/265781.md?page=2)