Math is fun! It is full of applications, yet
enjoyable in its own right.
And you'll get the answer to
the question, "What comes after Calculus?" Mathematics is a field with a surprising
variety of specialties. You can
learn about Abstract Algebra, Number Theory, Cryptography, non-Euclidian
Geometry, Probability and Statistics, Combinatorics, Differential Equations,
and Graph Theory, just to name a few.
T
he list of career options for math majors is nearly endless. Employers
in just about every field love to hire math majors because of the amazing skill
set they bring to the job. Math majors are critical,
creative and logical thinkers. Studying math develops such skills as arguing logically and rigorously, thinking
abstractly, formulating and solving problems, analyzing data, and creating and
analyzing mathematical models. Engineering,
biotech, actuarial, and computer companies need employees with mathematical
knowledge and abilities. Math majors become very successful management
consultants, doctors, and lawyers.
Companies in the computer and communications industries employ many
mathematicians, as do oil companies, banks, insurance companies, consulting
firms, and the federal government (the NSA is the country's leading employer of
mathematicians). Wall Street has also become a major
employer of math majors.
H
aving a degree in math is a necessity
for some fascinating very math-specific careers as well. Statisticians are
needed by a wide variety of companies. The (highly paid) professionals
responsible for computing insurance rates are specialized statisticians called
actuaries. The computer industry provides many lucrative jobs for math majors.
Many sophisticated applications of computers, such as the graphics you see in
the movies and the compressed video and audio signals for your phone,
involve a great deal of advanced mathematics. Many biotech companies hire mathematics
majors because of the highly mathematical nature of the field. Teaching
mathematics is an incredibly rewarding career, and every year roughly half of
the positions advertised for secondary school teachers in math go unfilled.
Really hot today is the area of
cryptography - the making and breaking of codes. Cryptography is used by many businesses.
Cable TV companies encode their
signals, requiring customers to have decoding boxes. Online businesses must encrypt their
customers' credit card information.
Even your ECampus sessions are encrypted.
Oath is a good
pre-med major! In fact, math majors enjoy higher acceptance rates to medical
school than many more traditional majors like biology. Professional graduate schools
in business, law, physical sciences, engineering, and medicine think
mathematics is a great major because it develops analytical skills and the
ability to work in a problem-solving environment.
Consistently, students majoring in mathematics score substantially
higher than average on both the LSAT (law school admissions test) and GMAT
(business school admissions test).
When ranking scores by major, mathematics is typically ranked number
one.
Knowing advanced math can
only lead to great things. In addition to higher pay, a math major's employment
promises higher levels of job satisfaction. In The Jobs Rated Almanac,
250 jobs are ranked according to six criteria: income, stress, physical
demands, potential growth, job security, and work environment. Mathematician
consistently ranks in the top 5%. Moreover, some of the jobs rated higher than
mathematician, such as actuary, also involve significant mathematical reasoning
and knowledge and therefore are likely filled by math majors as well.
Mathematicians have an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to society by
helping to solve problems in such diverse fields as medicine, management,
economics, government, computer science, physics, psychology, engineering, and
social sciences.
So the question really is,
why would you choose not to major in mathematics?