Even if you’ve never formally labeled yourself a mathlete, the fact that you’ve chuckled at “don’t drink and derive” makes you a math geek. You might get ribbed for being a squint, but you have some stellar options when it comes to your future career.
The five careers for math majors listed below require at least a bachelor’s degree, though some might require you to take one for the mathletic team and suffer through more of what you love with like-minded math geeks in a PhD or EdD degree program. If you’ve got non-numerical roots such as employment or geography keeping you from campus, computer geeks have exponentially increased your math degree program options through online education. Though not infinite, the number of online degree programs available are quite real and multiplying at a rate that is begging you to calculate it.
1. Statistician
As a statistician you not only get to apply your beloved mathematical principles to data, you could specialize and get a geek-supreme job title like econometrician (statisticians who analyze economic data) or biostatistician (the statisticians of the health industry). Statistics show up in just about every industry and almost all government agencies employ math whizzes with a knack for collecting, analyzing, and making conclusions about data such as opinion polls, company earnings, or the latest flu virus.
Most statistician jobs require a master’s degree in mathematics or statistics. When you’re making an average annual salary of around $95,680 as a statistician, you’ll be able to calculate the probability of accelerated loan repayment.
Math geek and real life statistician: Jerry Highfill
2. Actuary
If the Magic 8-ball never held your interest because you knew about probability theory at the age of 9, a career as an actuary may be a decent prediction for your future. Actuaries use math to assess risk and predict the probability of future events such as accidents and death.
You’ll need to have a bachelor’s degree in math and be able to pass an actuarial exam before you start making predictions, a job that can earn you almost $120,970 a year.
With actuarial jobs growing much faster than average through 2018-28, you may never have to “ASK AGAIN LATER” when it comes to job searching.
Math geek and real life actuary: Joan Peters Ogden
3. Mathematician
Not all mathematicians sit in a room with a whiteboard trying to figure out math problems that have never been solved–that’s just some of them, the theoretical type. The other variety, applied mathematicians, use their math super powers to solve practical problems in a variety of industries. Just how much like a superhero can a mathematician be? Some mathematicians called cryptanalysts are code breakers–they analyze and decipher encryption systems and codes. That’s pretty close. For math.
To be a mathematician and earn an average of $107,280 a year, you’ll need a master’s or doctorate degree in mathematics. Through 2018-28, jobs for mathematicians will increase by 30 percent!
Math geek and real life environmental mathematician: Kay Strain King
4. Operations Research Analyst
In lieu of flipping a coin, tech-savvy math geeks can choose to be operations research analysts, professionals who use math and technology to help others make better decisions. A simple question like, “Should I major in math?” might be solved using a mathematical equation, but more complex problems oftentimes require sophisticate computer programs. Make sure that average annual earnings of around $90,600 are part of your formula.
A bachelor’s degree in math may snag you an entry-level position, but a master’s degree and coursework in management and/or computer science can boost your employability. Jobs for operations research analysts will increase at a much faster than average rate through 2018-28.
Math geek and real life analyst: Amanda Peterson
5. Math Professor
Professors are math gods. They are able to inspire math geeks with mathematical theory and application, cultivating a love for one of the oldest sciences known to man–and that’s something that is very hard to quantify. But not all math professors teach all the time; they also conduct research.
If academe and university life seems as prime as 7919, you’ll need at least a master’s degree in math, and most likely a doctorate if you’re aiming for a tenure-track position. These types of professorships generally pay an average of $86,330 a year.
Math geek and real life professor: Richard Jarvinen
In this equation, math major, you are the independent variable and a degree program is a given and online education is an ideal substitution for a campus program. Any one of these promising careers for math majors is just a matter of function.
Source – Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019, BLS.Gov
