I graduated with a 2.55 gpa at a state university 3 years ago with a Mathematics and Spanish major, never actually took any economics courses. I haven’t worked on anything related to my majors, in fact, I’ve worked at a retail store ever since. I really want to get my life back on track, and would really love to do a masters that will help me get a real job, and even so I just want to go back to school in general, but I’m afraid of getting rejected or choosing the wrong program. Any ideas about what you would do in this situation would be appreciated, even if it doesn’t have to do with economics, I just want to do something with my life. Thank you very much.
You might look into mathematical finance. However, you might need to start as a non-degree student to demonstrate that you can handle the graduate workload. How was your major GPA and did you take the GRE yet?
I think you’re kind of approaching this wrong.
Graduate school isn’t a magic bullet that’s going to get your life back on track. You don’t need a master’s to get a non-retail job, particularly if you are interested in a quantitative field; if you want a job that’s not retail, you can do that with a BA in mathematics - but it might require some serious applying and networking, and possibly an openness to move away from the area you currently live in. Otherwise you could end up in more debt without any perceived benefit.
Also, I know that math is touted as the end-all be-all of economics…and economics does involve a lot of math. But economics is also a discipline: it’s a social science with it’s own theoretical and historical orientation. To study it on the graduate level, you generally need some kind of exposure to it on the undergrad level through some courses. So if you’ve never taken economics courses, you may not be competitive for good economics MA programs: you’ll want to take some undergrad econ classes as a non-degree student (and maybe a grad class or two if you fulfill the prerequisites). I’m not in economics but I’m guessing micro and macro and econometrics will be necessary at minimum; I think there’s also usually a class in economic theory that you’d want to take. Basically look at an undergrad econ curriculum’s ~5 required courses and those are the ones you’ll want to take. (Alternatively, see if any MA programs in which you’re interested have listed prerequisites).
There are other degrees that also have good outcomes but are more suited for a math major without much additional coursework. @xraymancs already suggested mathematical finance; you might also examine programs in applied math, statistics, data science, and actuarial science. But, as I said, a graduate program is not a magic bullet; you should get one because you’ve decided that you want to for sure pursue a career in one of those fields. If you just want to get a permanent full-time job, you can do that with a BA - you may have to move or just be patient.
Thanks so much for the responses. Major GPA is not the greatest at 2.5, but mathematical finance is a great suggestion. I was also looking at an MA in mathematics with specialization in actuarial science, which as @juillet said is a bit more accessible in terms of not too much extra coursework. I have not taken the GRE, although I have already registered. If I may ask, exactly what type of jobs is it that I should be aiming for at this point in my life with a BA in Mathematics? Because I have tried but unfortunately never seemed to land an interview. Thank you again.
As @juillet says, data science is a good option for a mathematics major.
If you are having a hard time landing an interview, try to see if someone with experience - preferably experience hiring people - will take a look at your resume and cover letter.