-3

What are your thoughts on someone with a math major (or physics or CS) who has a second degree in quantitative finance or financial engineering? Could you ever take someone like this seriously as a mathematician in the quant world (or physicist or CS), or would you laugh at them deep inside yourself?

4
  • 3
    Why do you imagine that such a person would not be taken seriously? Please clarify.
    – J W
    Commented Sep 15, 2023 at 6:28
  • 1
    Also, is this on topic for Academia Stack Exchange? It seems more something to ask potential employers in the relevant industry (e.g. finance). Or have I misunderstood the intent of the question?
    – J W
    Commented Sep 15, 2023 at 6:31
  • @JW I feel like when you have a second degree, it seems like the first isn't as authoritative anymore. Let's say you have a bachelor's and a master's degree in mathematics and then a second master's degree in a business-related field. I have the feeling that someone like that is no longer so strongly identified by their first degree. Commented Sep 15, 2023 at 7:07
  • 3
    This may sound far-fetched, but I prefer to "take mathematicians seriously" based on the work they produce, not the degrees that they may have taken in the past.
    – Yemon Choi
    Commented Sep 16, 2023 at 3:40

1 Answer 1

2

People who do a second degree often do so because they want to change their specialization. If you change your specialization, you typically choose not to keep up with your old specialization (there are only 24 hours in a day). This is why such a person will eventually become less and less relevant to the old discipline. It is not because such a person is laughed at, but just because that person chose to become less relevant in this field (and more relevant in another field).

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .