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Tim's Background:
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Tim graduated from SUNY Institute of Technology in 2005 with a BS in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. Shortly after, he was offered a job with SI International as a Junior Software Engineer. On the job, Tim collaborated with the Air Force Research Laboratory providing research and developing software. His math background was essential for understanding scientific papers that were read on a day to day basis. His research led to applying Machine Learning techniques and heuristic based optimization schemes to real world problems.
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After nearly a year of work in the field, Tim decided to enroll in the PhD. program in Operations Research at Stony Brook University.
Life as a graduate student:
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As a graduate student you can expect to spend ~40 hours/week attending class, reading, and completing homework. In addition, if you hold a Teaching Assistantship you will be required to work with a professor grading papers and holding office hours tutoring undergraduates. The work is very challenging, but worth the effort. On the positive side, you decide when you are going to work and what topics you wish to pursue.
Advice for students:
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Try to obtain a summer internship as soon as possible. You will gain some real-world experience, and also get a feel for what kind of job or major suits your interests best. Most importantly, work hard as an undergraduate! Your effort now will pave the way for a job in the future or lay the foundations for graduate school.