3. My school is implementing a data science major this fall. Which concentration wo...

My school is implementing a data science major this fall. Which concentration would be best for the job market?

I'm a professional software engineer working to become a data scientist and hopefully eventually to get a degree in economics, so for me the answer is pretty clearly economics, though I'll be far from the most credentialed person to answer the question in this thread especially with regards to the job market (I assume stats and CS have the most job security).

I don't mean to discount how valuable core skills like coding and stats are for any good data scientist, but I tend to think of those skills as base-level tools. You need to know them to be a data scientist, and knowing the really well will make you a better data scientist.

But for me the biggest reason to become a data scientist is not the access to cushy jobs (I already have one) but the more formal means of seeing and reasoning about the world. The math and programming will enable you to do data science, but in my opinion, the more interesting question is what you apply your knowledge to. The most meaningful thing I've gotten out of my education has been how it has changed how I see the world, so even if you go into analyzing clicks on ads (we've all got to pay the bills), I think you should choose the specialization that will make you the most curious and knowledge seeking about the world every day.

I didn't really develop an interest in economics while I was still in school because I like many people didn't know much about the field. Economics is a very broadly applicable intellectual framework with which one can understand complex systems of incentives and behavior. While it is limited in how precise and predictive it can be, it can be meaningfully applied to so many different scenarios that it will enhance your interest in just about everything.

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