A math degree in a job where the outcome is software is like a chemistry degree in Antony Bourdain's archetypical restaurant kitchen: amongst the sharp knives and hot tempers, you will be able to deduce and induce properly, but the food has to be served.
But a math degree can give you confidence so that, when confronted with formal stuff you don't know, you know that you can know with a bit of effort. This is useful, for example, when reasoning with properties of algorithms. This is not useful, for example, when arguing about object-oriented design patterns which are not formally defined.
So you will do well with the aspects of Machine Learning (as many others suggested) which can be formally studied; whereas the hand waving artsy pantsy experimental part will feel like cooking with Bourdain.
Comments
Agreed, and here's the cooking metaphor.
A math degree in a job where the outcome is software is like a chemistry degree in Antony Bourdain's archetypical restaurant kitchen: amongst the sharp knives and hot tempers, you will be able to deduce and induce properly, but the food has to be served.
But a math degree can give you confidence so that, when confronted with formal stuff you don't know, you know that you can know with a bit of effort. This is useful, for example, when reasoning with properties of algorithms. This is not useful, for example, when arguing about object-oriented design patterns which are not formally defined.
So you will do well with the aspects of Machine Learning (as many others suggested) which can be formally studied; whereas the hand waving artsy pantsy experimental part will feel like cooking with Bourdain.