I just finished a PhD in stats, and before that, studied computer science. I had planned to go back to industry to do software engineering or be a data scientist afterwards.
However, it seems that in the meantime, vibe coding has taken over the software industry and swallowed most data scientist roles. Few open positions, and the ones that do exist are just pushing a button instead of thinking and solving problems. Is this a correct assessment? Should I try to get back in or just find a new career? I am not too keen on staying in academia either.
You’re like 90% of a financial analyst. Work for a bank, grab that cash. Get an MS in financial engineering, might be able to bump that to a hedge fund job.
Highest salary (straight number, not counting stock options, etc.) I’ve ever seen was an acquaintance who is a financial engineer at a major hedge fund, and rode that to a VP position.