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Things to do with a BS in Mathematics
[Michael]![[Michael]](https://us.v-cdn.net/5018289/uploads/userpics/919/nYFI6N407YRMN.png)
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I've got classes starting up tomorrow and due to indecisiveness, I've pretty much cornered myself into a math degree. I'm great at math, but I don't particularly enjoy it (or dislike it), so I'm hoping maybe there are jobs out there that are a little more exciting than these courses are.
So, what can I do with a math degree? I guess I'm really looking for people who have a math degree: what are you doing with it, and or what are you planning on doing with it?
My brother suggested teaching math at the high school level, and as enticing as a 2 month vacation is, I don't know if I'd like it. I've considered maybe getting a master's (I'm too lazy for a PhD) in some other field, like computer science or something else math heavy. Anyone here done that?
So, what can I do with a math degree? I guess I'm really looking for people who have a math degree: what are you doing with it, and or what are you planning on doing with it?
My brother suggested teaching math at the high school level, and as enticing as a 2 month vacation is, I don't know if I'd like it. I've considered maybe getting a master's (I'm too lazy for a PhD) in some other field, like computer science or something else math heavy. Anyone here done that?
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Consider switching to Mechanical Engineering. You get to use a lot of math, but you don't have to like it. If you are good at math, however, then you will succeed. Plus you get to learn about some really cool stuff like Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics which are direct applications of the math you learn in algebra, calculus, and differential equations.
Oh yeah, starting salary for a Mech. E. is about 50-60k per year with an undergrad. That and Mech E.'s are always being hired.
I'm working towards one and an Electrical Engineering degree because I want to do more theoretical EE work and was told a BS in math will help a lot
Not much to say on this, but I hope it helps
This is a good idea, since MechE courses likely have more applied math than any other major E. It's also very possible to get a degree in MechE and get a similar starting salary doing almost no math. It's your call; that degree can make you versatile.
Unfortunately, the class requirements for the Math degree may not transfer over into MechE. It might take a long time to go through the basic engineering classes even though you'd probably rock them.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
or you could go and become an accountant or a tax preparer or a logistician or an actuary or etc...
there are jobs out there for just someone whose good at math.... but someone whose good at math and any other hard science (physics, chemistry, biology, etc...) should probably be an engineer.
A better way to approach this is probably to ask what sorts of things you like to do and then figure out if a math degree fits them. There are a lot of jobs out there that require a degree but really don't care what it is in.
From what I have seen from people with a B.S. in the (hard?) sciences like Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, is that it's typically a step toward a graduate degree. It's more theoretical stuff than engineering, so the application or advanced theory needs to be refined a bit further for it to be marketable. There's quite a few Biology students taking the same classes as Pre-Med students because they're both going into med school right away. I've seen a bunch of Chemistry and Math/Physics grads go right into ChemE and MechE respectively. On a different note, the only career path for Air Force officers that suggests getting a PhD along the way is the Scientist path, and only people with a B.S. in the hard sciences can get this path.
A lot of B.S. Engineering people are done with school because they make a great salary with job prospects right away, or maybe they go back to school later for their Masters in X. I wish I had raw data to back this up, because this is all technically anecdotal. I know it's out there, though.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
A Bs in math gets you a huge in for academia, but relegated to bottom shelf jobs in the workforce. Use that BS to get a masters in anything you find more interesting - Chemistry, Physics, Cryptography, Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Information Technology, etc.
Having the follow-up degree makes you a serious powerhouse in education. Team that up with some resume fodder jobs of your choosing and you can be on a road to high income in short order.
In that case, I would recommend graduate school. With that you can do some pretty interesting research (who knows, you might want that PhD, you essentially can get them for free, you know) and a guaranteed community college / state university teaching job to fall back on.
If you don't at least somewhat enjoy doing math, then you are going to fight your master's degree every step of the way.
My main concern with getting a math degree is being stuck in a job proving theorems and dealing with abstract concepts allll daaaay lonnng.
Is this a degree program or a diploma one? Everyone here seems to be assuming you'd have a BSc after this, but you don't generally get those in one year. That's going to affect what you do as well.
That's why I'm leaning towards getting the BS in mathematics then a Master's in something heavily related. It'd take the roughly the same amount of time (or a little more) as switching my BS major to something else, except I'd have a BS and a Master's.
I'm just not sure what I all I could do with that. Cryptography idea sounds interesting to me on the surface, but it keeps giving me flashbacks to abstract linear algebra. I don't know anything really about Forensic Accounting, so I guess I'll have to look into it. Could be good
Thanks for the idea so far, keep em coming!
My reasoning for this was pretty simple. I was interested in a lot of different things and statistics could be applied to almost any subject. As I studied more "math", I felt it became more and more theoretical and I had to start dreaming up situations in which I could apply it. Conversely, the more I studied "stats", the more I could see it applying to different areas.
I did a master's degree in Statistics and have been working in the field for 10 years or so. In that time, I have studied international travel, labour force statistics and I've been working with healthcare for the last 6 years or so. There are a lot of good jobs for statisticians and they are avaialable in many different fields.
Just something to think about. One added bonus was that I became fairly popular while doing my master's degree because all of the other grad students wanted help with their stats.8-)
That is bullshit. Obviously it depends a bit on the quality of your school and program, but a degree in math is a huge plus in a wide range of professions that require critical thinking - a ton of financial jobs, soft computer science (ie non-programmer, though those good at math tend to become good programmers if you work at it), data analyst, actuary, accountant, etc. I'm not saying don't consider a graduate degree, especially if you don't love the field, but don't believe that your job options are limited. You may not have as direct a path to a specific career as say a Mech Eng degree, but you are very much a desired candidate for a variety of things.
My understanding of forensic accounting is like.. you know those guys in movies and on TV crime dramas who talk about following the money? Forensic accounting is where you do that. I am sure that it played no small part in things like bringing down Enron or outing Bernie Madoff. Somebody somewhere had to get out a calculator and put the pieces together.
Like I said, I only really ever touched on this stuff briefly when I was considering a math minor, so I'm sure someone can tell you if I'm wrong.
Don't rush through college. Regardless of how long it takes you it will still represent a small portion of your life but it will affect what you're able to do with the rest of it. Figure out what you want to do and then pick the major that gets you there, even if it takes you an extra year. If you're considering engineering don't discard the chance to get a BS and an MS in it. I only recently realized that rushing to do what I wanted to do would get me exactly nowhere because I was making poor decisions in the interest of time. Now that I'm slowing down I'm thinking clearly and I have a solid plan. You don't have to knock out college in four years. There are plenty of people who take longer, there are also plenty of people who start as late as their mid twenties or thirties. There is no shame in taking extra time.
Good luck.
Most of what you described are either 30-40K a year jobs or jobs that require certifications and/or other experience outside of a math degree. I'm not saying he can't get a job - just that if he wants a great job, he needs more.
Aside from engineering, nursing, and CS, what other degrees are there where the average starting salary is higher?
My suggestion to the OP is to consider minoring in CS and contribute to open source if he/she has any interest in programming. Apparently employers love math majors who can code.
Edit: also you how far are you in your math degree?
If you don't love it, you don't belong in grad school and you won't make it in academia. If proving theorems all day sounds bad to you, you are not going to be a mathematician and you'll just come out of your graduate program as confused about your future as you are today.
BUT. College math majors are shoo-ins for quantitative finance and consulting jobs. (The two firms that really hire a lot of math kids are D.E. Shaw and Jane Street.) Don't switch majors if your grades are decent. You can make real money for a few years as a quant at an elite firm; then you can decide what you want to do next and whether you want to go back to school (MBA, PhD or masters in something, etc.)
There's always the NSA, of course, for about the same level of competitiveness (but anybody sane should have moral qualms about that, sorry to say.) And if you can program it's worth looking at tech firms. But if I were you I'd be headed for Wall Street or Greenwich.
http://numberblog.wordpress.com/
If you're a moral qualms person, you should probably have second thoughts about the financial industry as well. Maybe you can do finances for MSF or the World Bank.
Honestly, if you don't enjoy the math, I have a hard time recommending anything in this area.
Pretty sure actuaries make a lot more than that, but also that they have their own set of exams to pass which are apparently really fucking hard. Though if you're that good at math, why not.
Data analysts and accountants start in that range, but most jobs looking for them will also be willing to pay for them to attend further education to move up the ranks. For those sorts of jobs it's often easier to promote from within because you want someone with good knowledge of your internal processes and the trust of their colleagues for the senior roles in those lines of work. You can also find work in just about any industry, as any sufficiently large company has a need for these sorts of people.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
I think I started at $29K, and I lived here, 4 years ago.
And yeah, if you don't like tests, this is not the career for you. Getting fully certified once you graduate is like a 10-year path. She's been doing it for years, and I think she makes about 50-55k at the moment. For a little while she worked for the IRS.
Sure and in DC that gets you the "Stab me and Run" neighborhood. Getting a job isn't the problem - its just not gonna get you much of one. The average median income there is like 58K. A masters is gonna get you twice that pay even with a lack of experience.