Career ideas for DH! Data science, programming... something else?

[Kanin]

My DH is about to make a career change. For the first time, we’re relocating because of MY job, so he needs to find something to do in Maine. Since there aren’t a lot of job opportunities in his field in the area, he’s looking for remote work. We planned on this when I accepted the job, and have set a tentative goal of December for him finding a new job - although we’d really like it to be sooner. When I looked for a new job for myself, I was primarily trying to find a way to get him out of his job - I never in a million years thought we would have him leave a stable job without another one lined up, but there was no helping that because he was just TOO stressed. I was seriously concerned for his mental health, which has thankfully bounced back quite a bit in recent weeks.

DH has a PhD in math. He’s been working as a non-tenured professor for the last four years. He likes teaching, but the increasing workload of academia was getting to him (to put it mildly), and he’s also starting to fall out of love with higher ed in general. His classes had 40 or more students, and he taught 4 classes each semester, so he never felt like he was having any meaningful interactions with his students, and he was always rushed trying to answer their emails, rushed in office hours, rushed, rushed, rushed. He does NOT handle pressure very well, particularly if he feels like he’s shortchanging someone’s education because of time constraints. He is very meticulous and has high standards for himself, which has served him well in his career so far, but it’s also come at a cost emotionally. 

Many of DH’s friends from graduate school are in data science or programming. DH is quite a good programmer, has been for years, and has also been dabbling in machine learning for the past few months, just out of personal interest. He is looking for remote work in data science, data engineering, and even some math curriculum design. It seems to me that it might be hard to break into data science coming from a purely academic background, since every job requires a previous related job. I’m a tad concerned, but trying to avoid a full-on freak out, especially since I’m really excited about my new job and want to enjoy it!

The abundance of knowledge on this forum continues to amaze me, so I’m hopeful some of you might know a lot more about these fields than we do.

Thank you in advance!! You guys are the best ? 

[mominco]

Sent you a pm

[Crimson Wife]

Somebody was just telling me today that there is a severe shortage of folks in cybersecurity. https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CISSP#

I don't know how much of the work can be done remotely though.

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, Crimson Wife said:

Somebody was just telling me today that there is a severe shortage of folks in cybersecurity. https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CISSP#

I don't know how much of the work can be done remotely though.

 

My ds works in cybersecurity and telecommutes.  

[Liz CA]

Tutoring through one of the websites (I don't know what the pay is?) if he does enjoy teaching but does not like the politics of academia.

I am wondering if he can offer SAT/ACT/GRE one on one tutoring as it sounds like he really likes to teach but does not want to teach 40 people at the same time

Cybersecurity (I think ktgrok's husband is in this field - you could PM her, however, as far as I know they are not in Maine)

 

 

[Frances]

I know there are both online and in-person programs for people looking to change careers and get into data science and most would also have job placement. I think telecommuting from the very beginning might limit job prospects, as lots of people who telecommute start out working on-site at least part time. Edited to add that his best bet for telecommuting from the start might be using connections from his grad school days.

Automattic is one company I know of where everyone telecommutes. He could check their job listings and see if he qualifies for anything or is interested in getting the credentials to qualify.

Has he looked for analyst jobs, either public or private, where you will be living in Maine? Where I live someone with his math background and programming skillls could readily land such jobs. Many allow telecommuting part-time, but usually require some time in the office.

[ktgrok]

2 hours ago, Crimson Wife said:

Somebody was just telling me today that there is a severe shortage of folks in cybersecurity. https://www.isc2.org/Certifications/CISSP#

I don't know how much of the work can be done remotely though.

Lots of jobs are remote, but it is a very high stress field. 

[Liz CA]

How about actuary? He may have to take some classes and I know there are a several exams but with a doctorate in math it would probably not be too difficult.

[LucyStoner]

I know more than a couple of people with advanced math degrees that have ended up working in data science.  

Cybersecurity and compliance has a negative unemployment rate.  There are a lot of jobs to be had but many require travel.  

[ktgrok]

3 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

I know more than a couple of people with advanced math degrees that have ended up working in data science.  

Cybersecurity and compliance has a negative unemployment rate.  There are a lot of jobs to be had but many require travel.  

True about the travel, it's the only reason DH is still at his current job - he doesn't want one that requires massive amounts of time away from the kids. 

But again, it is HIGH stress. VERY HIGH. 

Actuary sounds like a better route for someone that doesn't like stress, politics, etc.  Generally the CEOs of the company don't understand security, have unrealistic expectations, and refuse to fund what would be needed to protect from threats, so the security team is constantly freaking out about vulnerabilities, knowing that if a breach does happen and it is big enough to make the news they may end up fired, or even blackballed from future jobs. (or, oddly, if they manage to get the company through it well may be even more valuable on the job market as someone who navigated a major breach...but there is no way to know which way that will go.)

[Kanin]

10 hours ago, Liz CA said:

Tutoring through one of the websites (I don't know what the pay is?) if he does enjoy teaching but does not like the politics of academia.

I am wondering if he can offer SAT/ACT/GRE one on one tutoring as it sounds like he really likes to teach but does not want to teach 40 people at the same time

Cybersecurity (I think ktgrok's husband is in this field - you could PM her, however, as far as I know they are not in Maine)

 

 

Some kind of online teaching would definitely be great - although it's hard to make a living wage that way. He's been investigating edutech companies like IXL and things that are used in schools.

[Kanin]

3 hours ago, Liz CA said:

How about actuary? He may have to take some classes and I know there are a several exams but with a doctorate in math it would probably not be too difficult.

 

That's what I suggested, but apparently it's "boring"??

[Kanin]

43 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

True about the travel, it's the only reason DH is still at his current job - he doesn't want one that requires massive amounts of time away from the kids. 

But again, it is HIGH stress. VERY HIGH. 

Actuary sounds like a better route for someone that doesn't like stress, politics, etc.  Generally the CEOs of the company don't understand security, have unrealistic expectations, and refuse to fund what would be needed to protect from threats, so the security team is constantly freaking out about vulnerabilities, knowing that if a breach does happen and it is big enough to make the news they may end up fired, or even blackballed from future jobs. (or, oddly, if they manage to get the company through it well may be even more valuable on the job market as someone who navigated a major breach...but there is no way to know which way that will go.)

Haha, yeah, high stress is a no. We have trouble with just regular stress around here! The unrealistic expectations of CEOs sounds a lot like higher ed administrators who think you can teach 150 students well, give them individual attention, do research, AND serve the school.

I dunno, it seems like all jobs are increasing workloads and expectations. It certainly feels like that working in K-12. I wonder when people will finally be unable to do "all the things," and will employment change?

 

 

[ktgrok]

4 minutes ago, Mainer said:

Haha, yeah, high stress is a no. We have trouble with just regular stress around here! The unrealistic expectations of CEOs sounds a lot like higher ed administrators who think you can teach 150 students well, give them individual attention, do research, AND serve the school.

. dunno, it seems like all jobs are increasing workloads and expectations. It certainly feels like that working in K-12. I wonder when people will finally be unable to do "all the things," and will employment change?

 

 

Yeah, xanax is pretty commonly handed around the workplace in cybersecurity circles. Not kidding. It's bad. And imagine the stress of it all PLUS knowing it will end up on the news cycle if you mess up (major breaches are often big news....DH works for a fortune 500 company so it definitely would be big news if there was a breach). And trying to explain the hows and whys to people that have zero technical skills, etc. 

[Lanny]

He could switch from Academa into Industry, but that might be a difficult and time consuming adventure for him.    IMO his fastest path to work, especially Remote/Telecommuting full time, would be as others suggested upthread, to do Math tutoring online. I think that is doable.

Another possibility might be to work for the State or U.S. government, if they have any appropriate things going on where you live where he could work in-house or remotely for them. 

Having worked as a Software Engineering Consultant on Commercial and Government contracts, I did work with a number of people who had an M.S. in Math.   I would probably not be comfortable, working with a "grunt troop" who had a Ph.D. and was doing the same work that I was doing. Although I think one of my friends/colleagues did get her Ph.D.

I retired very young and now have no recent experience. If I did have recent experience, I would pay to join this web site, which I believe is very reliable:

https://www.flexjobs.com/

Note: If he is interested, sign up for their email list and they will probably send a discount code.

There will be reluctance on the part of Hiring Managers/Supervisors in Industry to hire someone with no experience in Industry, but that is not impossible. It would depend on what kind of programming he has done and if the languages he has experience with are in demand at this time.And, his understanding, if any, about how things are done in Industry to produce a product that works properly for "the customer". 

I believe it will be hard for him, as in my own case, to start off working for a company Remotely/Telecommuting. It is easier, if one has worked for them in-house and is then given the opportunity to work Remotely.

Another thing that complicates working Remotely/Telecommuting in Industry is if a Security Clearance is required, they will not be able to have work on that done off-site. A lot of the things I am contacted about require an Active Clearance.

I wish you much luck in your new position and I hope he will come up with something that he enjoys doing. One of my friends and colleagues years ago (M.S. in Math at that time) got fed up with the way Engineers are (often) treated and he got a position teaching Math in a Community College. He then got a Ph.D. in Education and is now retired from that. Both worlds, Academic and Industry, have their pros and their cons. Your DH is burned out in Academia so I do not believe he should try doing that again in Maine. Tutoring would work for him. Online that's doable.  You just need a good Internet connection. We have 50 Mbps FTTH (Fiber to the House) service) now. 

[Lanny]

9 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

Yeah, xanax is pretty commonly handed around the workplace in cybersecurity circles. Not kidding. It's bad. And imagine the stress of it all PLUS knowing it will end up on the news cycle if you mess up (major breaches are often big news....DH works for a fortune 500 company so it definitely would be big news if there was a breach). And trying to explain the hows and whys to people that have zero technical skills, etc. 

 

Networking or being a Sys Admin could have that too.   When there is an issue with our Web Hosting, I tell my wife and DD, "Thank God it is their problem to fix, imagine the stress".

And, sometimes having a project that went awry on your resume can be bad.  Years ago, I was interested in an assignment working for a household name corporation (I worked under contract to them in another place on another unrelated project) that was in a place I thought I would enjoy being in for awhile.  Recruiter from the Job Shop actually came down from New York to Texas, to meet with me and others in person. He was ready to give me an airline ticket to go there, but their hourly rate was too low for me.  A few years later, I worked with 2 people who had been there and they explained what had gone on there. The project was a complete disaster and was written up in a prominent magazine about how not to do Software projects.

Which reminds me of a MOOC course I began l ast year and had to drop, because I had to "fight a fire" here.   It was about using the Software Development Tools that are supposed to make Software projects successful and more on-time.

I was astonished to learn that approximately 25% of the projects in Industry today are considered total failures and written off.  About the same percentage are considered very successful.  The other 50% are OK and deployed, but with issues. 

 

[Kanin]

Thank you, Lanny! That info is really helpful. I'm going to go back and re-read what you wrote.

I'm trying to convince DH that he might have to take a more entry-level job for a time to get experience. Based on what you said, it might not be that easy to get something entry-level when you have a PhD, because people assume you won't want to do that. Huh. Tricky. 

Where is my winning lottery ticket?!

[Kanin]

1 hour ago, Ktgrok said:

Yeah, xanax is pretty commonly handed around the workplace in cybersecurity circles. Not kidding. It's bad. And imagine the stress of it all PLUS knowing it will end up on the news cycle if you mess up (major breaches are often big news....DH works for a fortune 500 company so it definitely would be big news if there was a breach). And trying to explain the hows and whys to people that have zero technical skills, etc. 

 

It's like this in the financial industry, too... and surely government as well... it's a bit nerve-wracking to think that people in really important positions are physically on the verge of breakdowns! I hope your DH isn't as stressed as that.

[Lanny]

1 hour ago, Mainer said:

Thank you, Lanny! That info is really helpful. I'm going to go back and re-read what you wrote.

I'm trying to convince DH that he might have to take a more entry-level job for a time to get experience. Based on what you said, it might not be that easy to get something entry-level when you have a PhD, because people assume you won't want to do that. Huh. Tricky. 

Where is my winning lottery ticket?!

You are welcome.  Additional time to reflect on this and process his situation has me believing that he should NOT try to go into what I did, which was working as a Software Engineering Consultant on projects involving both Hardware and the Software/Firmware required to make the Hardware work.  First, I doubt that he has any experience working with Hardware. Secondly, your location would probably offer few, if any, opportunities for that kind of position. Many of the people have an Engineering,   Physics or Math degree. To give you a "worst case" example: On one job assignment, I was under contract to a large Aerospace company. I was in the Software Group. The project involved Simulation. Although the vast majority of Hardware Engineers I worked with were very competent, the Engineer responsible for the box I was working with was (in that particular case)  incompetent. The Software Group ended up redesigning the Hardware I needed to work with.   I cannot see your DH going into a group like that and being a "Lead" or a "Principal Engineer" and certainly not being a "Project Manager", without having some years of experience. I believe he will do better if he can use his education and work for an Insurance company or business, where he Math skills can be utilized. That might be in Data Mining or some other job title.  Also, governments use people who analyze data.  Did you find the Lottery ticket?  He needs to be on LinkedIN...

[Hilltopmom]

Thanks Katie on the tip about Cybersecurity being high stress. As I type this, my kid is registering for his fall classes (we’re at orientation) & adding a cyber minor.  

I’ll pass that info on. Not something he’s thought about & no one in academia had mentioned.

[Lanny]

23 minutes ago, Hilltopmom said:

Thanks Katie on the tip about Cybersecurity being high stress. As I type this, my kid is registering for his fall classes (we’re at orientation) & adding a cyber minor.  

I’ll pass that info on. Not something he’s thought about & no one in academia had mentioned.

You just hit a Nail on the Head.   Many people in Academia have no clue about what it is like to work in Industry.

I read a paper, a couple of years ago, I think from the CS Department at UC-Davis, about the number of projected job openings in things like
Security and other things.  One would have assumed, before reading that, there were tens of thousands of potential openings, during the next few years. No, they thought the actual numbers were in the hundreds.  It was quite interesting, considering the source...

Edited July 19, 2018 by Lanny
typo

[Crimson Wife]

6 hours ago, Mainer said:

That's what I suggested, but apparently it's "boring"??

Saying this gently but I think he's going to have to choose between "boring but low stress" and "interesting but can be stressful". I know my DH has had to make this choice in finance. The least stressful job he had in the 12 years since graduating with his MBA he complained about the work being boring. Now he's in a position where he thinks what he is doing is interesting but it's way more stressful (this morning he was supposed to have a meeting with the firm's general counsel about potentially suing an investment analyst for libel over a report published yesterday that was not just negative but contained flat-out false information).

[teachermom2834]

My husband made a career change about four years ago. He has a PhD (not in math but in some kind of statistics and evaluation. I can never remember the name but it is mathy but not as much as a math PhD. Lol)

He is now a data analyst in HR for a major corporation. It is political and stressful. The stress is manageable now but he had a previous boss that I thought would work him to literal death. He likes it and it is interesting to him but he does have a lot of office politics to manage and that is not really his thing. 

He has also had online teaching gigs for community college. That might be something your dh can do part time to supplement another entry level job while he makes a change. To make a full time salary doing what my dh has done online would get him right back to the stress of answering tons of emails, etc.

[ktgrok]

4 hours ago, Hilltopmom said:

Thanks Katie on the tip about Cybersecurity being high stress. As I type this, my kid is registering for his fall classes (we’re at orientation) & adding a cyber minor.  

I’ll pass that info on. Not something he’s thought about & no one in academia had mentioned.

I should also add in fairness that people drawn to security roles are often naturally paranoid about risks in general, which makes them good at their job but also makes them stressed out in general, lol. 

Also, it's a field where you need to be prepared to switch companies in order to move up. 

[TravelingChris]

How is the connectivity in the part of Maine you will be living in?  Because in order to work successfully online, I think you need very good and reliable internet and that means reliable even when gigantic snowfalls happen or whatever other weather issues may occur.  More rural or small town areas have limited speeds or iffy connections even without weather issues.  It is a big big problem in rural areas and I have no idea about how good or bad Maine has it. 

[mumto2]

25 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

I should also add in fairness that people drawn to security roles are often naturally paranoid about risks in general, which makes them good at their job but also makes them stressed out in general, lol. 

Also, it's a field where you need to be prepared to switch companies in order to move up. 

I have to say this thread is enlightening.....both of my kids are getting Cybersecurity degrees.  Right now they are both fascinated and loving it.

eta...Dh is an actuary.  Working remotely.

[ktgrok]

1 minute ago, mumto2 said:

I have to say this thread is enlightening.....both of my kids are getting Cybersecurity degrees.  Right now they are both fascinated and loving it.

my husband does love it, when he is doing it, and not dealing with all sorts of office politics, lol. 

Have your kids heard of the B-Sides conferences? They are done usually the weekend before or after a big conference  and are often free for students. My husband runs the one here in Orlando, but they are all over the country and a great opportunity to network (huge in this field) and learn. The big one is coming up in August in Las Vegas, set around Blackhat and Defcon. Or, as my husband calls it, "Hacker Summer Camp". 

[Lanny]

6 hours ago, Mainer said:

Thank you, Lanny! That info is really helpful. I'm going to go back and re-read what you wrote.

I'm trying to convince DH that he might have to take a more entry-level job for a time to get experience. Based on what you said, it might not be that easy to get something entry-level when you have a PhD, because people assume you won't want to do that. Huh. Tricky. 

Where is my winning lottery ticket?!

 

Respectfully...   It is not just that people (hiring supervisor or hiring manager) might think you won't want to do that. It is because they might think that you cannot do that, due to a lack of experience and training.

A lot of what I did is seat of the pants Engineering and when I receive emails about jobs, they are usually pretty flexible, about what kind of B.S. degree one has. It can be in various Engineering disciplines. It  can be in Physics. It can be in Math.  doesn't really matter, because what they are really looking for is someone with experience doing what they are doing.

Some of the emails I receive state so many years of experience with a B.S. degree, so much with an M.S., and less working experience with a Ph.D.  So, there is some leeway given to people with higher degrees, by some prospective employers/clients and in those companies a Ph.D. could get in with less practical experience. . 

My personal belief is that for someone working as an Engineer in industry,  with a Ph.D. they should be looking at the V.P. level or very high level Management.

There are exceptions to that. there is at least one person on WTM whose Dh and everyone else where he works as an Engineer have a Ph.D. they are all at the top of the pay scale. It must be a bloodbath there.

Again, I would suggest he not go into anything where he would be working with Hardware as I did. And, I doubt there is much if any need for that in Maine. Tons of it in NH and in the Boston metro area, but probably not in Maine.

Again, I think working as an Actuary or some kind of position where his Ph.D. in math is directly applicable would be much better than going into Industry and trying to work as a Software engineer.

Once I told a Job Shop recruiter my hourly rate for the locatioin he called me about. He replied, "I can get a Ph.D. for that".  I replied, respectfully, "I know  you can, but can he do the work the client needs?"   I was not trying to be arrogant, I was courteous, but my message conveyed my doubt about the ability of someone with a Ph.D. who was willing to work for that hourly rate, to produce what the client corporation needed done.    Thats what he would be up against if he tries to work as a Software engineer. The more I think about him, the more I would discourage him from Software Engineering, unless he is comfortable with Hardware.

He needs to be on LinkedIN!    A week or 2 ago, I saw that someone with the title "Project Manager" had looked at my information there. Normally, it is people in HR who have no clue about what the information on my resume means. they are strictly searching on buzzwords.

First suggestion for him is to establish a presence on LinkedIN and develop a network of people there.  He should develop a SHORT resume. 2 or 3 pages would be ideal.  If someone in HR or a hiring manager/supervisor reads it, he has their attention for approximately 30 seconds.  Buzzwords are what HR will search on and they have computer programs to sort the resumes for them.

He could work for the State of Maine in some kind of IT position.  I think that might be a good fit for him. Some kind of Data Analysis where his Math Ph.D. is useful on a day to day basis.

[Kanin]

5 hours ago, Lanny said:

You are welcome.  Additional time to reflect on this and process his situation has me believing that he should NOT try to go into what I did, which was working as a Software Engineering Consultant on projects involving both Hardware and the Software/Firmware required to make the Hardware work.  First, I doubt that he has any experience working with Hardware. Secondly, your location would probably offer few, if any, opportunities for that kind of position. Many of the people have an Engineering,   Physics or Math degree. To give you a "worst case" example: On one job assignment, I was under contract to a large Aerospace company. I was in the Software Group. The project involved Simulation. Although the vast majority of Hardware Engineers I worked with were very competent, the Engineer responsible for the box I was working with was (in that particular case)  incompetent. The Software Group ended up redesigning the Hardware I needed to work with.   I cannot see your DH going into a group like that and being a "Lead" or a "Principal Engineer" and certainly not being a "Project Manager", without having some years of experience. I believe he will do better if he can use his education and work for an Insurance company or business, where he Math skills can be utilized. That might be in Data Mining or some other job title.  Also, governments use people who analyze data.  Did you find the Lottery ticket?  He needs to be on LinkedIN...

 

Didn’t find the lottery ticket, but I’m sure it’ll turn up somewhere. 

Hardware sounds difficult. DH doesn’t know anything about that. Data mining is another search term I didn’t know - thanks!  We’re learning how to use LinkedIn... looks like a useful site. I read that 80% of jobs come from a personal connection, and are not advertised online.

[Kanin]

1 hour ago, TravelingChris said:

How is the connectivity in the part of Maine you will be living in?  Because in order to work successfully online, I think you need very good and reliable internet and that means reliable even when gigantic snowfalls happen or whatever other weather issues may occur.  More rural or small town areas have limited speeds or iffy connections even without weather issues.  It is a big big problem in rural areas and I have no idea about how good or bad Maine has it. 

I think it’s as good as here in PA. I haven’t heard of internet being knocked out by storms except in very rare occasions. That would be terrible!

[Kanin]

2 hours ago, Crimson Wife said:

Saying this gently but I think he's going to have to choose between "boring but low stress" and "interesting but can be stressful". I know my DH has had to make this choice in finance. The least stressful job he had in the 12 years since graduating with his MBA he complained about the work being boring. Now he's in a position where he thinks what he is doing is interesting but it's way more stressful (this morning he was supposed to have a meeting with the firm's general counsel about potentially suing an investment analyst for libel over a report published yesterday that was not just negative but contained flat-out false information).

Yes, I completely agree with you. Maybe there’s something out there that has moderate interest and moderate stress ? 

[Lanny]

Keep looking for that Lottery ticket!   Without hardware background I would stay out of Software Engineering.  I know enough about Hardware to be very dangerous and have a good idea about what I need to get the Hardware to do and then I can try to get it to do what I want it to do, reliably and properly. 

I believe if you will search on the web sites of a few universities that are strong in Engineering and Math, you will come up with some job titles for people with math degrees.  Texas A&M, Carnegie Mellon, M.I.T., Cal Tech, etc.  Look on some of their web sites and see what their graduates with a B.S. or M.S. in Math are doing.

LinkedIN should be his #1 web presence. Also, post his resume on Indeed.com   As 2 childhood friends (both Engineers) told me, get on LinkedIN...

I have on my resume that I have no recent experience and that  I am looking for remote/telecommuting, but if the right thing came up (location I like, hourly rate that makes economic sense, and a project that I am interested in, I would ask to be submitted and would work on-site. If I had an active Security clearance that would be much easier.

 

 

[Crimson Wife]

21 minutes ago, Mainer said:

 I read that 80% of jobs come from a personal connection, and are not advertised online.

This is especially true for better-paying jobs. My DH started at a fast-growing startup in May and he's now gotten 3 of his friends (former colleagues and/or grad school classmates) in serious discussions for upcoming positions. Those positions will likely never be advertised to the general public nor even sent to headhunters to recruit for (how DH landed this job). It's often whom you know at least as much as what you know, if not more so. .

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, TravelingChris said:

How is the connectivity in the part of Maine you will be living in?  Because in order to work successfully online, I think you need very good and reliable internet and that means reliable even when gigantic snowfalls happen or whatever other weather issues may occur.  More rural or small town areas have limited speeds or iffy connections even without weather issues.  It is a big big problem in rural areas and I have no idea about how good or bad Maine has it. 

 

Yes, this is why my son who works in cybersecurity remotely can't ever work from our house.  We have terrible internet/cell phone connections here.  It's really unfortunate because he has the freedom to work from anywhere he wants to (right now he's on a trip with friends) but he can't do it here.  

[mumto2]

2 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

my husband does love it, when he is doing it, and not dealing with all sorts of office politics, lol. 

Have your kids heard of the B-Sides conferences? They are done usually the weekend before or after a big conference  and are often free for students. My husband runs the one here in Orlando, but they are all over the country and a great opportunity to network (huge in this field) and learn. The big one is coming up in August in Las Vegas, set around Blackhat and Defcon. Or, as my husband calls it, "Hacker Summer Camp". 

Thank you so much.  I need to ask them.  I suspect my son will because the whole field of anything computer is and always has been his dream.  It’s always amazed me how incredibly kind and encouraging professionals in CS have been to my ds along the way. For my daughter the journey is just starting but she loved her Intro class and has definitely decided to continue.

 I don’t see a date for the next conference in Orlando....who knows maybe they will meet your hubby at the next one! ?

[TravelingChris]

50 minutes ago, Crimson Wife said:

This is especially true for better-paying jobs. My DH started at a fast-growing startup in May and he's now gotten 3 of his friends (former colleagues and/or grad school classmates) in serious discussions for upcoming positions. Those positions will likely never be advertised to the general public nor even sent to headhunters to recruit for (how DH landed this job). It's often whom you know at least as much as what you know, if not more so. .

Not even so many top paying jobs.  It is how my dh got his job (which is high pay).  But the rest of the people do not have high pay jobs. DD got hers through a job fair interview. She got almost no responses applying online.  DS got his current job through contacts and will be getting his next job through DD's contacts most likely, if not actually at DD's company,. and youngest DD got her part-time work last semester through friends.  Son in law is changing jobs and we will see if he gets one through someone he or we know or through job listings. Son-in-law is looking for work though in fields none of the other ones of us have any contacts in mostly.  

[ktgrok]

17 minutes ago, mumto2 said:

Thank you so much.  I need to ask them.  I suspect my son will because the whole field of anything computer is and always has been his dream.  It’s always amazed me how incredibly kind and encouraging professionals in CS have been to my ds along the way. For my daughter the journey is just starting but she loved her Intro class and has definitely decided to continue.

 I don’t see a date for the next conference in Orlando....who knows maybe they will meet your hubby at the next one! ?

The Orlando one is in April ?

The Las Vegas conferences are in August, then there is Wild West Hackin' Fest (smaller, but really good) in October...and that's all I know, lol. 

[Ausmumof3]

As a stop gap measure if you don't have something in time can he offer private tutoring?  Not exciting I know but might help pay the bills if nothing else shows up?

[ktgrok]

I talked to DH about this and he had a suggestion! He said for your DH  to look into cryptography. There is a real need for people in that field, and it is almost 100 percent remote. Basically they need people who can work on digital contracts and such. He'd need to brush up on his computer skills and advised also looking into some of the more modern coding languages like Go. But cryptography would be good for someone with a math background, somewhat interesting (lots of researching how to make something work), and not high stress. 

[Lanny]

This morning I found an email from a Recruiter about a temporary contract assignment, in my Inbox.  Basically it is for a household name company that is looking for Embedded Software Engineers.  With my very dated experience, I have a much better grasp of what is involved, than would someone without any experience working with Hardware. 

There was NOTHING in the requirements from the Client corporation, regarding education.  It all has to do with what they are doing and what experience they are looking for. 

I agree with up thread suggestions regarding Math tutoring, cybersecurity, cryptography, actuary and other positions, that have a relationship with the Math Ph.D. for the DH of the OP.

(I updated my resume and sent it to the recruiter.  I would rather work Remotely, if they have anything I can do from home and I can and will  work for much less per hour, from home than if I need to go to Florida and work on-site.)

[Kanin]

15 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

As a stop gap measure if you don't have something in time can he offer private tutoring?  Not exciting I know but might help pay the bills if nothing else shows up?

Yes, I think so. ? 

[Kanin]

6 minutes ago, Lanny said:

This morning I found an email from a Recruiter about a temporary contract assignment, in my Inbox.  Basically it is for a household name company that is looking for Embedded Software Engineers.  With my very dated experience, I have a much better grasp of what is involved, than would someone without any experience working with Hardware. 

There was NOTHING in the requirements from the Client corporation, regarding education.  It all has to do with what they are doing and what experience they are looking for. 

I agree with up thread suggestions regarding Math tutoring, cybersecurity, cryptography, actuary and other positions, that have a relationship with the Math Ph.D. for the DH of the OP.

(I updated my resume and sent it to the recruiter.  I would rather work Remotely, if they have anything I can do from home and I can and will  work for much less per hour, from home than if I need to go to Florida and work on-site.)

Thanks, Lanny! I'm interested to know how the job goes for you, if you get it. 

[Kanin]

1 hour ago, Ktgrok said:

I talked to DH about this and he had a suggestion! He said for your DH  to look into cryptography. There is a real need for people in that field, and it is almost 100 percent remote. Basically they need people who can work on digital contracts and such. He'd need to brush up on his computer skills and advised also looking into some of the more modern coding languages like Go. But cryptography would be good for someone with a math background, somewhat interesting (lots of researching how to make something work), and not high stress. 

Hey, thanks! That's a great suggestion!

[Lanny]

3 minutes ago, Mainer said:

Thanks, Lanny! I'm interested to know how the job goes for you, if you get it. 

 

Thank you.  It's a longshot for me because I have very dated experience and I cannot work out of town for a low hourly rate.     Part of what they are looking for is people with Assembly Language experience and that is how I started out.  I have some of the experience the client is looking for. Whether or not the Recruiter submits my resume is another thing. Contractors usually go in via the Purchasing Department, and not the HR Department.   Like they are buying office supplies... It is in Florida, so if I had to be somewhere during the Winter, that would be an easy place for me.  And no state  income tax in Florida...

Get your Dh on LinkedIN and on Indeed!