A little information on Majoring in Math

College Majors
1

Hello there :slight_smile:

I have been conflicted about what I should major in, Pure/Applied Mathematics or Engineering (most likely electrical) Let me explain my situation.

I started going to school late, at around 25. I’m in my second year at Community College (North Jersey) in Engineering science and it’s going pretty well. I enjoy the coursework, but what I really enjoy are the Mathematics courses. I started to feel like I would really enjoy just studying Mathematics.

Now I do not have a lot of money. I’ve made it through most of Community College debt free but that won’t be the case much longer. I work about 30 hours a week, I have a girlfriend and we want to settle down soon. I thought that getting a bachelors in engineering would set me up pretty nicely right out of school, but I think I would enjoy pure math much more.

I guess what I’m asking is, what are the job prospects as a math major compared to an engineer? I live in New Jersey right outside of NYC. I would love to do research in mathematics but probably won’t have the time or money or maybe even grades to get into a Ph.D program, though I may try a masters after graduating (or accelerated program) Would a degree in “Applied” mathematics still enable me to work in a scientific field as opposed to financial? Do the salaries stack up to an engineer?

Thank you for your time :slight_smile:

2

Possible post-graduation directions for math graduates:

  • Data science or statistics. (Take statistics, computer science, and subjects of application electives, or major in data science or statistics.)
  • Finance or actuarial. (Take statistics and economics/finance electives.)
  • Computing. (Take computer science electives, or major in computer science.)
  • Operations research, logistics, or industrial engineering. (Take statistics, operations research, industrial engineering electives, or major in industrial engineering.)
  • PhD program in math.
  • High school math teaching. (Look up teacher credentialing requirements for the location you want to teach in.)

PhD programs are generally funded (tuition waiver and living expense stipend in exchange for doing TA/RA work). MA/MS programs may or may not be.