So my kid is considering this major - thoughts?

[episodic]

My son is considering majoring in Math. A Bachelor of Science degree - not teaching.

If you are willing to relocate most anywhere - what can you do with that. I know alot of you are working in 'hi tech' fields. What would be his job prospects with a 'pure' math degree.


*EDIT* - he doesn't want to teach K-12 - he has mentioned that he wouldn't mind teaching community college or college as there wouldn't be the issues that a k-12 teacher has to deal with. . .

Are those jobs available for people with math degrees - if he got at least a Master's? I just want to make sure the boy is gonna make it in this messed up economy he is coming of age into. . . I should probably add that unless he gets a boat load of scholarships - he is probably going to an average 4 year state school - not Harvard or Yale. . .so take that into consideration.

 

[amdhunter]

He'd make a great cashier at Walmart.

 

[krylon]

hookers and blow

 

[DaveSimmons]

That might be OK with a lot of applied math classes and a minor in computer science. He could end up working with developers designing algorithms for their programs (geographic information systems for example).

If he just likes the theory part instead of things like numerical analysis then without a teaching certificate or Ph.D I hope he likes asking about wanting fries with that.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Eh...we gotz calculators yo.

 

[episodic]

He is big into the 'theory' part. He just likes math. He has tried the other sciences such as AP CHEM and Physics - doesn't like them at all. He did 'ok'. He excels in every math class and has pretty much taught himself CAL 1 - even though he hasn't 'finished algebra II' yet. His math teachers love him. He doesn't really want to teach. What he did say is that if he got a degree in math, it should not be a problem to get a Master's degree and get a community college job. We have k-12 teachers in the 'family' and he knows about it - and has no desire for it. . .but he wouldn't mind teaching college level.

Would this be a 'pipe' dream or are there plenty of good jobs at a community college and above level?

 

[esun]

Teaching and research of course.

Computational mathematics is applicable to many fields, e.g., numerical methods applied to various engineering applications.

Mathematical modeling is useful in economics.

EDIT: Since you mention teaching specifically, there are lots of jobs at the community college level, but getting job at a top university is very, very difficult and involves dealing with lots of politics. He better make sure he loves it if he goes into it, otherwise he will not survive.

 

[PsiStar]

Actuarial science, prep for a law degree, economics ... not to mention a gazillion gov jobs.

 

[gorcorps]

Doesn't want to teach? He's fucked

 

[IEC]

Math + Physics?
Math + Biology?
Math + Economics?
Math + Computer Science?

Out of those, math + econ and math + CS would probably yield the most opportunities.

 

[Cheeseplug]

Why is it that everyone thinks that you have to "do" something with a degree? Universities are not trade schools, they teach you to think not to do a job. Math is probably the purest discipline there is, and someone with a degree in math would be able to go into any number of fields. The key is learning how to think, which would definitely happen in such an abstract field such as math.

 

[xanis]

A friend of mine is currently a Math major at PSU. She just got an internship with NSA crunching numbers for security systems and stuff like that I think.

 

[DaveSimmons]

University level teaching requires a Ph.D, research and then tenure unless you want to be a third-class citizen working twice as hard for half the money and with no job security.

A Masters is probably enough for a community college, but I'd guess the pay is much lower than at a university. I'd find it boring teaching only the same low-level courses over and over, but some people might prefer it.

 

[z1ggy]

Ask him if he likes computers at all, or thinks maybe he would like writing math programs. The military companies like Raytheon, Lockheed Martin etc, do a lot with digital signal processing and even though I study that as an Electrical Engineering, it is honestly just 100% math based ( a lot more advanced than Calc I that your son is trying to learn) but has a lot of applications in the electrical field.

 

[PJABBER]

NSA, quant on Wall Street, depends on how far he takes it.

 

[Random Variable]

Does he like probability and statistics?

 

[Alienwho]

Math is far from a useless degree. Sure it isn't specialized and there are no "math" jobs, besides teaching of course, but it shows he's a thinker and it's a natural step to a career in computers (programming), academia and maybe business, among other things. I really think a lot of people see a Masters degree in math as quite valuable, despite the fact you never hear it praised.

He could definitely choose a lot worse, that's for sure.

 

[clamum]

I've seen many programmer/developer job postings that accepted a degree in Math.

 

[maziwanka]

i think math is a fantastic degree. i majored in applied math, but went to law school instead. at the time i was considering a ph.d. it's definitely helpful when applying to phd programs for math or applied math (maybe even physics) to have a pure math background.

my brother on the other hand majored in pure math and is now getting his phd in applied mathematics. i think he really likes it and there's definitely industry/private sector work that's interesting and available. pm if you have any other questions

 

[edro]

Why didn't he do engineering?
Engineering is applied math.

 

[blackdogdeek]

i have a B.S. in mathematics. i was going to be a math teacher. instead, i am a software developer at a global investment bank.

 

[Dark4ng3l]

Let him do whatever he wants to do. In the end thats what will make him happy. Sure you could try and get him to be some king of engineer or an accountant or something where he could make tons of cash but in the end doing what you want is better.

 

[ahenkel]

Does he have a brother that works for the FBI?

 

[kranky]

Actuary is rated as the overall number one job there is, taking into account work environment, stress level, pay, etc.

 

[ShawnD1]

He'd make a great cashier at Walmart.

oh come on, you know walmart doesn't hire cashiers *waits in line for 3 hours to pay for things*

Why is it that everyone thinks that you have to "do" something with a degree? Universities are not trade schools, they teach you to think not to do a job

This. Most stuff at university is there to help you be a smarter person, not a more employable person. I left the field of chemistry because the pay is terrible, but I never regret having a chemistry degree. Life seems a little easier when one understands what an octane rating means, why salt doesn't melt snow past a certain point, why the positive terminal of a car battery always has a cover, or why bleach and ammonia should never be mixed together.

If your son has a math degree, he'll have a much better understanding of things like the stock market and loans. I think you should support your son's decision to learn math.

Why didn't he do engineering?
Engineering is applied math.

Engineering is how retarded people do math. Let me give you an example of something I did today in design class. We have an electric motor of a known size and motor class. We know that it's a totally enclosed fan cooled motor, so we look in the tables at the back of the Canadian Electrical Code to see what insulation rating is required for this motor. Next we multiply the full load current by 1.25 then look on in the back of the CEC to pick the conductor size, but we pick it from the 75C column even though we know we're using 90C insulated conductors. Next we find the locked rotor current by multiplying the motor's horsepower by the number assigned to its design class to get a value in KVA. We divide the KVA value by root 3 then by the line voltage to get the line current. We use this line current (which is a very large current) to pick the size of the motor starter.

I'm not even sure the above is correct. Some of the steps get a bit jumbled. I'll need to double check this later.