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What Matthew Does:
- I perform data cleansing, data
analysis, and data mining for a variety of defense/intelligence clients.
- 3.5 years (total experience)
- Prerequisite jobs held before
this job – Experience performing data analysis and programming for a
defense contractor.
On the Job :
- As stated above, my clients
need me to perform the cleansing, analysis, and mining of data in order to
solve their problems. However, those are not the only things that I do in my
job. On a daily basis, I have to communicate results to those who don’t
know anything about my subject matter. Therefore, in order for me to be
effective at my job, it is imperative for me to be an effective
communicator in both written and spoken forms.
- Topics Used: Calculus, Differential
Equations, Numerical Analysis, Linear Algebra, Applied Statistics, and
Probability.
- Skills Used: C++, Matlab, SAS,
Perl
- My past experience includes improving
a mathematical model for a ballistic missile moving at
supersonic/hypersonic speeds, performing tradeoff analysis for various
ballistic missile designs, analyzing countermeasures for Weapons of Mass
Destruction, improving a model of the Navy’s “Force
Structure”, and participating in ‘man-in-the-loop’
war-game simulations.
Background:
- B.S. in Applied Mathematics, NC
- Part-time student: MS in
Mathematics and Statistics at
- Previous work experience:
- Systems Planning and Analysis
Inc., Analyst
Advice:
- For High School Students: Try
to take Calculus before graduating from high school. If you already have
Calculus under your belt, then try taking Differential Equations, Linear
Algebra, Statistics, or some other college-level math/stats courses.
Taking an extra physical science course would also be beneficial if you
can’t get the above math/stats courses. I would also recommend
trying to get a programming language (C++/ Java), if that is available at
your school. The more you can get done while in high school, the easier
your transition to college will be.
- For College Students: Talk to
your advisor about courses that would not only give you a better idea of
what mathematics is really like, but will also count towards your current
degree choice (this will always be the case if you have any free electives
left).