Careers of Recent C of C Math Graduates:
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Job Description:
- In some fields (including mathematics and computer science), universities will pay you to attend graduate school. One way to achieve this is to be a graduate teaching assistant who assists professors in teaching courses while taking courses of their own. This is how Tarsem is employed at the University of Georgia in Athens. However, as he is about to receive his Ph.D., he already has a job lined up for next year at the University of South Carolina in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. It is a one year appointment, commonly referred to as a "postdoctoral position", quite common in academia between getting a terminal degree and landing a tenure track job elsewhere.
- Tarsem also has a separate job, running a volunteer organization called Free IT Athens that tries to bring free technology to the community.
Math on the Job:
- Research is a major component of Tarsem's current position in Georgia and will also be his primary focus at the University of South Carolina next year. Although he is not in the math department, his research in the area of complexity and quantum computing is actually quite mathematical. Like math papers, his thesis is made up of abstract definitions, theorems and proofs. In his research he studies mathematical models of computation based on quantum physics and seeks to establish whether or not these models are always more powerful than similar models grounded in classical physics.
- The areas of mathematics that he uses most frequently are linear algebra, abstract algebra, and numerous branches of discrete mathematics (automata theory, graph theory, combinatorics, for example).
Background:
- Tarsem received degrees in mathematics and computer science from the College of Charleston in 2002 and will receive his Ph.D. in computer science in 2007.
Advice for Current Students:
- "I think that it is important to take as many courses as possible in both mathematics and computer science. The skills that you gain from studying these two disciplines (analytic & logical thinking in math and algorithmic & logical thinking in computer science) will be applicable in almost any area that you can imagine. In math, I would suggest splitting your time between pure and applied classes, while in computer science I would suggest that you take as many "theoretical" classes as possible, since the majority of the discipline is very applied. I believe that it is vitally important to gain an appreciation for both the applied and theoretical sides of both of these disciplines, as it will give you far more options later in life. Outside of your academic life, I suggest getting involved in volunteer work or community service. Many non-profit organizations are starved for people with computer and math skills, and the experience that you will gain applying your knowledge will be indispensable when it comes time to apply for jobs down the road. In addition, these experiences can often be extraordinarily rewarding on a personal level."