What can you do with a math degree?

[witeknite]

I am currently re-evaluating what I want to do with my life and am looking for opinions. I currently have a mediocre job as a network admin. and am going to school part-time to get a degree in Information Systems. Since I am taking this semester off due to the birth of my son, I thought it a good time to take stock.

I'm not really sure if I want to do IS for the rest of my life. There seems to be a glut of people trying to get jobs in this field so future prospects look grim. After taking calculus I have been reminded that I always enjoyed mathmatics and picking up poker has reinforced this feeling. At this point I am trying to find out what kind of jobs there are that require a lot of math. Obviously there is engineering, but my understanding is that job prospects aren't to much better there. Do any of you work in a field along these lines, and if so, how is it? Thanks.

WiteKnite

[Shajen]

the job you get should not be dependent upon your degree.

In most fields, a recruiter/HR monkey who has no clue who you are or what you are capable of is screening your resume.

Also, for most hiring managers (at least in my experience) college is only a sign that you can work hard for something.

They figure if you are reasonably smart, they can show you what you will be doing.

Now, if you are talking HEAVY math, uh, I got nothing.


You'd be surprised how far a general Business degree can get you.

[tdarko]

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What can you do with a math degree?

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play poker /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[eric5148]

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Quote:
What can you do with a math degree?


play poker

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Yup.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

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What can you do with a math degree?

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Ummm... unless you go post-graduate, I think you're pretty much going to be a math teacher, unless you go the way of getting a job that doesn't require a specific degree.

Engineering is a good way to go. The job market depends on what field exactly you go into. Things like aerospace are up and down, but you can always go mechanical and that's broad enough that you can get a job just about anywhere. If you go civil engineering, you can get a job pretty much anywhere, but in my opinion, that's not really a math kind of job - it's more knowing your code books. Shhh... don't tell my wife I said that - she gets pissed. Electrical engineering can be pretty heavy in the math and you can get a pretty good paying job doing that. My vote is for mechanical/aerospace, but I'm biased.

[jakethebake]

answer stupid math puzzles in ootia.

[BeerMoney]

There are a lot of jobs in gov't for math majors, if you are interested in working in DC. It will help if you have some stats classes also. Once you get your job, you will have many oppurtunities to go and work in private industry from there. A lot of these types of jobs are stats jobs, or carry the title of operations research analyst, cost analyst.

(These are just the things I know of out there.) Anyone who says "math teacher", which a lot of people will, probably doesn't know the major that well, and probably doesn't know the job market.

Beer.

[witeknite]

So far, I've actually enjoyed my classes. I feel I got something out of all the ones I taken. I guess I'm thinking along the lines of statistic analysis and what-not. Mechanical engineering might be cool. So would chemical. One of my concerns there though is age descrimination. I know it tends to be bad in many of the technical fields (EE, CSE...) I'm 27 now and only going to school part-time so it might be a while before I'm done.

WiteKnite

[chaas4747]

Become a Actuary and wind up slitting you own wrists! /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[witeknite]

That's kind of what I'm thinking. Although, I would probably see about a state job first. DC is a pit, and since TX is a pretty big place, there might be stuff in Austin.

WiteKnite

[witeknite]

Is it that bad? Are you one or do you know one?

WiteKnite

[istewart]

Statistician, many companies need them.

Or you could become Theo Epstein's right-hand man /images/graemlins/wink.gif.

[chaas4747]

No I just work with a bunch of them, systems consultant for insurance companies.
Not a bad paying job, but as far as fun, not really! If you like figuring mortality tables, and junk like that it might be ok. I guess it is just odds like poker, we are betting you are going to out live the break even point on your policy, and you are betting you will die before that point.

Good luck in your career search!

[jakethebake]

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Statistician, many companies need them.
Or you could become Theo Epstein's right-hand man /images/graemlins/wink.gif.

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I need someone to count how many times, and measure how hard I slap istewart's avatar's ass.

[turnipmonster]

there are branches of programming that are very math intensive, like graphics and stuff.

electrical eng (as someone else mentioned) can be math intensive as well.

for most engineering type jobs they want you to have a specific degree in that field, but certainly there are many jobs that don't require any such thing. at my school, a CS degree was only 12 hours away from an applied math degree, so if you get a math degree you may be able to pick up a 2nd bachelor's without much more work.

--turnipmonster

[Paluka]

There are tons of jobs availible for math majors.

[threeonefour]

the NSA hires more mathematicians than any other institution in the world, i believe. there is also a lot of academic jobs out there. i think actuary is the highest paid occupation in america for people coming right out of college.

there is a lot of jobs for mathematicians in computer science, business, and statistical fields.

[BOTW]

[ QUOTE ]
Become a Actuary and wind up slitting you own wrists! /images/graemlins/wink.gif

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you realize when you become one you can just buy someone and watch them slit theirs, right? If you like math take a test and see how you do. actuary.com (http://www.actuary.com/)
Ask some profs or companies you might want to work for which society they like.

[Gainsay]

Getting a job at the NSA as a mathematician basically requires a graduate degree which doesn't seem realistic for the original poster. It takes 5-7 years full time to get a PhD in an area of math.

I graduated with a BS in math and have been doing computer programming since then. Other people in my class either went to grad school or became actuaries/accountants/math teachers. At my school statistics was a different area, so those people probably got different jobs.

[Jeff W]

I recommend that you complete your math degree if you enjoy math. Your future employers will be impressed with your intelligence and commitment and your job prospects are good. You don't have to work in your degree field.

[fnord_too]

I have a discrete math degree. Any BS will help you get a good technical job. If you like Math, I'd say go that route.

[jason_t]

I am graduate student in mathematics and I have a computer programming background. Here are, I think, my career options:

professor, NSA, Rand, financial analyst, actuary, computer programmer, thousands and thousands of private companies, statistician for a sports team (Theo, are you reading this?)

not all these options are available to a mathematically trained individual with only an undergraduate degree but MOST of them are.

happy to answer more questions, here, or via PM.

[Mano]

I was a Math/Physics major in college. Now I have a job as a computer programmer making video games - can be a fun job, but have to work insane hours at times.

[jason_t]

It's possible with a Masters degree, which only requires about two years.

[Reef]

teach