[whiterknight]

Sounds like you opened up the newspaper and scanned for “mathematician”. Leveraging phd research into a great job is a tough. Re-skilling into a normie engineer/technician/analyst, is not.

My point is not to criticize your job hunting skills, it’s to suggest that this an undue psychological burden in your life and is perhaps masking other causes and personal challenges.

[graycat]

Naw: The WaPo period was before my Ph.D. The ads were for computing -- math not mentioned. For some years, the career was computing but with some math, e.g., the FFT (fast Fourier transform), ....

I never wanted the Ph.D., what I learned there, the research I did there, to be the basis of a career. Instead, before the Ph.D. I had a good career going with computing and, at times a crucial help, some math, and went for the Ph.D. ONLY to do better at THAT career. For my career, the day I entered the Ph.D. program was a BIG step down, and what I'd learned about optimization was, in a word, WORTHLESS.

My main point here is on the word "applied" for optimization: I was well qualified, and happened to publish some research in optimization, but discovered that "applied" optimization was not the basis of a good career. Here I'm just reporting that fact. I doubt that there is still any real career opportunity in "applied" optimization.

So, a book title with "Applied" Optimization is to me a outrage.

I wasn't stuck on "optimization". For a while worked in the first wave of AI (artificial intelligence via the Rete algorithm). Then published in mathematical statistics. I was perfectly willing to mow grass, shine shoes, ..., do anything that would support me financially, be reasonably safe, and not seriously illegal but discovered that "Ph.D." on the resume blocked any such. Thought about taking "Ph.D." off the resume but was afraid that I'd get into trouble due to the gap in time.

Here my point, complaint, warning, contribution to others, is: My long experience was that there is nearly no career in "applied" optimization. A second point could be, outside of academics, a Ph.D. can hurt your career. Try leaving it off your resume. A Ph.D. might be worse for your career than a felony conviction; no joke (my legal history is totally clean).

In life, we are forced to make important decisions without good information. In my career, at times I did well, and at times I didn't.

E.g., by middle school it seemed accepted and true that education helps, more education helps more, education in the STEM fields is the best, a Ph.D. is the best education, and, thus, a Ph.D. in a STEM field should be really good, e.g., easily enough to buy a house and support a family.

Truth: Nope, too simple. I couldn't take care of my wife, kitty cats, get a job, any job, at all, ANY job, got run out of the house by the Sheriff with guns.

With a BS "With Honors" in math, I got strongly recruited. With a Ph.D. in applied math, including optimization, I got strongly rejected.

Yup, it hurt. I was manipulated, lied to, and hurt.

"psychological burden": Maybe those are the right words. But millions of people have suffered worse, e.g., The Great Depression, wars, Covid in the family, and much more, and still did well.

Don't know the solution in general.

For me, now, still good in math and computing, with .NET, etc. got a Web site, with some math at the core, running easily enough, and intending to go live, get some viewers, run simple ads (standard sized rectangles), and make some money. In this, want to remain anonymous and not be a public person.

And want to OWN the business. Have someone list what papers I need to file for a business, an LLC, etc. Get an accountant. Get and receive revenue. In simple terms, add up the expenses and keep the rest. Eventually sell the business and pursue, say, mathematical physics.

[whiterknight]

> I doubt that there is still any real career opportunity in "applied" optimization.

I agree there are no ready made jobs for that.

But you yourself know there are optimization problems all over real life. It’s a sales problem. Companies don’t know what they need or who has it.

> there is nearly no career in "applied" optimization

Agreed. But that’s true of all PhDs. The only difference is business guys see “computer science” and have an idea of where it fits in their org. It’s easier to sell. But in reality there is no business for experts in complexity theory or category theory type systems.

Making money involves solving practical problems. Even professors take a two job approach, mixing official research to get tenure with stuff they are actually interested in.

> With a BS "With Honors" in math, I got strongly recruited

This is very unfortunate. Because professors grew up competing in an academic tournament for their jobs they think that’s how the whole world works.