What can I do with my mathematics degree?
January 20, 2009: In the past few weeks, at least two students have asked what types of jobs one can do with a mathematics degree. The answer is any job that does not call for a specific technical degree. Of course, I wouldn't expect a mathematics major to be competitive if the job advertisement specifically calls for a degee in, say, chemical engineering. However, mathematics majors should be aware that chemical engineering firms might well hire a mathematician to support their engineering group. Multinational companies usually recognize the value of a mathematics degree. The unemployment rate for Mathematics majors is virtually zero.
Rather than re-inventing the wheel, a search of the web might provide some answers. If you google the phrase, What can I do with my mathematics degree? (no quotes), you will get ten million hits.
http://www.lauriercc.ca/career/students/planning/major/math.htm posted by Wilfred Laurier University lists several possibilities, repeated below, and also some general comments about the value of a mathematics degree.
(from WLU's page) Actuary,
Risk Management Analyst,
Statistical Analyst/Statistician,
Cost Estimator/Analyst,
Account Executive, Project Analyst,
Data Control Administrator, Purchasing Control Agent, Investment Banker,
Media Buyer, Telecommunications Specialist, Mortgage Researcher,
Economist, Financial Manager/Auditor, Meteorologist,
Mathematical Statistician, Public Health Statistician, Credit Analyst,
Financial Analyst, Demographer, Tax Investigator,
Epidemiologist, Programmer Analyst, Nuclear Engineer,
Market Researcher/Analyst, Statistical Programmer, Test Technician,
Inventory Analyst/Controller, Claims Adjuster, Project/Program Analyst,
Quality Assurance Analyst, Systems Level Designer, Loan Officer,
Biostatistician, Product Quality Engineer, Buyer/Assistant Buyer,
Accounting Analyst, Operations Research Analyst, Auditor,
Surveyor, Drafting Engineer, Architect,
Bank Examiner/Manager, Satellite Technician, Artificial Intelligence Researcher,
Marketing Associate, Systems Administrator/Consultant, Database Manager,
Finance Associate, Information Technologist, Appraiser,
Quality Engineer, Quality Assurance Engineer, Securities Analyst/Broker,
Merchandise Manager, Technical Salesperson, Underwriter,
Sports/Entertainment Agent, Real Estate Broker/Developer, Sports Statistician,
Financial Awards Officer, Air Traffic Controller, Teacher/Professor,
Operations Manager, Aerospace Engineer, Opinion Researcher,
Insurance Salesperson, Commodities Manager/Broker, Pilot/Flight Engineer,
Technical Writer, Astronomer, Rate Analyst,
Equipment Designer/Tester, Urban/Regional Planner, Web Site Developer,
Cryptologist/Code Designer, Robotics Engineer, Business Analyst,
Investment Manager, Psychometrician/Psychometrist, Purchasing Agent,
Payroll Administrator, Medical Records Technician.
Note that some of these careers require addtional degrees or certifications.
One of the trends I noticed during my time on the pre-health professions committee is that
Mathematics majors tend to do better on the Sciences portions of the MCAT than Science majors do.
This might sound counterintuitive to some people.
However, one should realize that Mathematics majors spend a lot of their time
breaking problems into pieces, solving the pieces, and putting things back together again.
This set of problem solving skills enables Mathematics majors to learn new disciplines fairly quickly.
Certainly, one needs to know the basic science to do well on the MCAT,
but one also needs to solve multi-step problems by combining information and
making reasonable calculations and estimates.
What might be even more surprising is that Mathematics majors tend to do very well
on the verbal section of the MCAT, falling behind only the Humanities majors.
WLU also list the types of companies that hire mathematics majors:
Medical Research Organizations, Engineering Firms, Finance Companies,
Federal Government, Computer Software Developers, Technology Companies,
Health Insurance Companies, Disease Control/Prevention Centres, Opinion Researchers,
Pharmaceutical Companies, Data Management Companies, Manufacturers.
While the above lists may not be exhaustive, they should help to give an idea where to start. There is also a site
http://www.math-jobs.com/ that lists specific jobs for mathematiocs majors.
URL: http://www.math.fau.edu/locke/curriculum/MathJobs.htm
Last modified January 20, 2009 by S.C. Locke