How would you define the characteristics of a mathematical career?

Question

As expanatory as possible...

oh, and the marketability as well...

Answer 1

First of all, a lot of people believe that the only career path for someone with a math degree is teaching. NOT TRUE!

My field is petroleum engineering, in which I am a researcher specializing in computational methods for simulating the process of oil recovery. I'm in academia, so I also teach, but the primary part of my job is the research.

There are many fields, such as this, for which computational mathematics plays a vital role, and they require specialists in the mathematics, not just researchers or engineers in the field in question who happen to know some of the math. With computing power constantly growing, more and more difficult problems need to be solved, so cutting-edge mathematics is needed. Both private companies and the federal government are interested in such research and throw billions behind it every year.

Students tend to think that math is "done"; that is, why would anybody research it? Calculus is basically done, in that it has hardly changed in over 100 years. But math beyond that is constantly evolving.

While my area is computational math, there are also many opportunities in pure or theoretical math that many people wouldn't know about. For example, advanced knowledge of number theory can help you get a job with the government working on cryptography.

The problems that you have to solve in a mathematical career are MUCH harder than what you'd typically see in classes, but the skills you learn in classes are helpful. The main difference is that you have to use many of these skills for the same problem, whereas problems in classes tend to focus on only a few closely related techniques. But keep in mind that although the problems are harder, it's also far more rewarding when you make progress on them and eventually solve them.

My career is very challenging, but I love it and wouldn't want to do anything else. It pays well too :)

Answer 2

Are you talking about getting a BA in math or graduate degrees?
If you get a BA, you can get many different jobs, since employers see the math degree and know you can think and solve problems. They may be willing to hire you and train you because of that.
If you want to use mathematics, actuarial work pays well. I personally would find it boring ("driving" a desk 8+ hours a day). Other work includes engineering and such.

If you are thinking about advanced degrees, the same options apply, but if you want to work in academia, you need top publish research. This involves finding a problem, working on it, then submitting it to a journal. The journal will referee it and submit changes to make, you will make the changes and resubmit.
Depending on the institution you are at, you may need to publish several papers to gain tenure.

Answer 3

X+B-A3(43Y)+2 1/3 M=?