Mathematics is the science of order, structure and relation. It is concerned with the study of the properties of measurements, numbers, and shapes, and the relation between these quantities. It is a powerful tool for solving practical problems, and a highly creative field of study combining logic and precision with intuition and imagination.
The knowledge of mathematics is extremely lucrative in today’s technologically oriented workplace. There are a very wide range of employment opportunities available to students who are facile with mathematics concepts. Employers from business and industry like to hire persons with a background in mathematics because of their ability to think and reason critically, logically and analytically. Employers include electronic equipment and computer manufacturers, oil companies, communications laboratories, aerospace companies, research firms, investment banking firms, and school systems.
According to CareerCast.com (and reported by the Wall Street Journal), mathematician, actuary, and statistician are all among the top 10 best jobs to have, according to surveys done in both 2009 and 2010 (mathematician scoring #1 in 2009).
Sites Related to Careers in Math
- Bureau of Labor Statistics page on mathematicians
- When Will I Use Math?, sponsored by BYU with support from the Mathematical Association of America.
- MAA Professional Development
- Mathematical Sciences Career Information. AMS-MAA-SIAM
- Mathematical Sciences Career Information. AMS-MAA-SIAM: The Project for Non-Academic Employment
- The Association of Women in Mathematics: Women and Mathematics Network Careers
- Informs (Institute for Operation Research and Management Sciences)
- SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics) has a career information page with information about non-academic employment, applied math and computational sciences and a joint AMS-SIAM mentoring program.
- SIAM Jobs
- The Society of Actuaries (SOA)
- CoolMath Careers
Careers Related to Education, Science, and Applied Mathematics
- The Chronicle of Higher Education Career Network
- Teach For America
- Peace Corps
- Career profiles (part of the AMS-MAA-SIAM Mathematical Sciences Career Information)
- Science Online
- The National Academies (advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine)
- The National Academies Career Guides
- The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is an organization devoted to the art, science, engineering and application of information technology.
- ACM Career Line
- The Occupational Outlook Handbook – Mathematicians
- American Statistical Association: Careers in Statistics
- American Statistical Association: Job Web
- Purdue University’s Mathematics Department
- The SIAM Report on Mathematics in Industry
- Career Resources of the Association of Women in Mathematics
- The Computing Research Association (CRA)
Books, Guides, and Magazines Related to Careers in Mathematics
- MAA Review of The MAA Online Review of 101 Careers in Mathematics, edited by Andrew Sterrett
- MAA Review of Great Jobs for Math Majors by Stephen Lambert and Ruth Decotis
- Math Horizons, a magazine published by MAA, has a variety of articles on how to find a job, get an internship, choose a graduate school, and combine math with other interests like becoming an actuary or statistician.
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