<p>Hey guys, I need serious help in choosing a major for a career. Im really, really good at math but are there any jobs out there for someone good in math that can lead to them easily making six-figures out of college? Engineers don't make much aside from petroleum engineers but I can't stand the thought of leaving nyc to work in some oil field. Basically I wanna avoid anything medical even though medical jobs are the safest route in terms of getting a high salary. What can someone who is good at math do for a living while making boatloads of money? I was thinking about actuaries, they make pretty good money, but is it worth taking like ten tests? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Engineering? Economics?</p>
<p>Math is used in a LOT of fields… but most seem like you won’t be interested in. Engineering uses tons of math, programming, and physics. There’s also Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, and most of all, Economics. That’s just math and more math.</p>
<p>Nobody makes six figures straight out of college. Maybe investment bankers after a bonus, but most usually start out at 55-75k. Also are you willing to put in over 100 hours a week? Going into work at 7 or 8 am and getting out at 1 or 2 in the morning or sometimes never going home and sleeping in at the office? Weekends from 10 am to 7 or 8p.m.? But this is only usually for 2 years as an analyst. After that, you would go back for an MBA and hope to get a position as an associate for another few years. If you can get past that point, the money really starts rolling in as you get promoted. Of course this is really a cutthroat world. You have to figuratively speaking be able to kill others to make it anywhere.</p>
<p>hmmm, what about actuaries then? I hear their careers are extremely stable. Are there any hidden gems in engineering though? My dream job would be computer hardware engineering but that’s facing the threat of outsourcing</p>
<p>My career vote is for Actuary - I think you had it right initially. Take a look at Quantitative Finance as well. And an initial job offer with 100K+ in any field after a Bachelor’s Degree for an early 20s person with no significant work experience is exceedingly rare.</p>
<p>A link I found for Actuary salaries - [Actuarial</a> Salary Surveys for Actuaries, the Leading Actuary Source | Ezra Penland Actuarial Recruitment](<a href=“http://www.ezrapenland.com/salary/]Actuarial”>Actuarial Salary Survey - Ezra Penland)
One nice thing about an Actuarial career is that it does not require a particular degree for entry. </p>
<p>Not wanting to leave NYC will limit you in an Engineering career - sure, not everyone is cut out for Oil Field work, but some experienced Chem. Eng. Managers w/ an MBA easily reach the 6-figure range. Outside of the Computer Hardware you mentioned an interest in, you may want to take a look at an Industrial Engineering degree.</p>
<p>On another note, if you are good at Math and want to make a lot of money, put some real effort into learning financial markets and invest on the side. Seriously.</p>
<p>lagator thanks for that link. Actuary seems to be a very healthy profession but Im not sure how important math will actually be in the job. Do companies just expect you to use set tables and apply them to certain situations, etc. for setting up prices and junk? I would hate that.</p>