Is a major in math a good idea

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>i am a junior in hs and am still not quite sure what i want to do, but i am pretty good in math and i like it. however, i was told that it would be better for me to major in a business area like economics or accouting or something along those lines as they offer many more opportunities than a math major would offer. is this true and is being a math major a bad idea. or could i minor in math maybe. i was also told that fordham, which is where i have kinda been planning to go doesn't have a great math department. anyways, does anyone have any thoughts on this. as always, thanks and happy thanksgiving!</p>

2

<p>No, I cannot agree with the advice you’re describing.</p>

<p>Math is a fantastic major for a future business career. Engineering is too. As is physics.</p>

<p>The smartest guy I met in Bschool, who later went on to co-found Metropolitan West Asset Management, had been a Physics major at Yale, then a Masters in Math at USC before getting his MBA. Went to work for Pimco right out of Bschool, a very tough slot to get and it was because a lot of business functions LOVE quant jocks and rocket scientists.</p>

3

<p>Thanks, I feel much better now about what I want to do!</p>

4

<p>There’s a wide range of math careers.
[Careers</a> in Mathematics](<a href=“http://www.cs.xu.edu/math/mathcareers.html]Careers”>http://www.cs.xu.edu/math/mathcareers.html)</p>

<p>You also could combine math + economics, as economics is a very quantiative discipline.</p>

5

<p>Having hard math skills can be an asset. There are firms that look for such types to do modeling and forcasting in business. My firm used to hire math and physics PhD’s even. Also a family member got a degree in Engineering but went to work for an Electronics company in business functions, not engineering, and is just completing a paid MBA from top school. But be careful about the department quality. There is also pure math (more theory) vs applied math. It is a good idea to look at Econ with a math minor that can be strong for business too.</p>

6

<p>There are many many more people majoring in business and economics than there are in math, so right away that would give you a leg up on your competition. A lot of schools these days are focusing on the problem solving skills related to a math/science major, and not necessarily focusing as intensely on the math, allowing you to go out and work in a huge variety of fields</p>

7

<p>My son is a math major. He is majoring in pure math, which limits his options a lot :-), but for the applied math major, there is any number of jobs out there. I know in the lists of careers that make people happy, mathematicians are the top of the list. </p>

<p>I think it is an excellent choice that will lead to many options. Do not listen to people who think that traditional majors do not lead to employment.</p>

8

<p>Thanks this is all very helpful and reassuring!</p>