<p>Hello everyone, I made a post about changing my major to math (from engineering) and pursuing a PhD in math a couple weeks ago, and now I have some questions.</p>
<p>I've been looking around the internet and it seems the job prospects for PhD students in math are pretty dismal, with tenure-track positions having something like 300+ applicants per position. I also hear that adjunct positions pay so little that some people qualify for food stamps and other forms of welfare... which is obviously not a position that I want to be in down the line.</p>
<p>I really want to be a math professor, but say I get my PhD in pure mathematics, and there are no jobs available, what other opportunities are there for someone in that position?</p>
<p>I guess what I'm saying is I don't want to get my PhD and then not be able to find any employment, what could I do to broaden my horizons career-wise if there is no room available in academia (although I'm sure academia would be my most desirable position, but it seems I am not alone in this sense). </p>
<p>I have a lot of time ahead of me, and right now I am still a mechanical engineering student. If I switch to math at this point I will graduate with a major in mathematics and a minor in engineering, would this undergraduate degree get me hired as an engineer in the case that I can't find PhD math related work (even 5 years after my studies as an undergraduate)?</p>
<p>I guess I'm just really nervous, and I don't want to make the wrong decisions. I love math, but I don't want to be doomed to failure just because the job market is worthless. I feel that I could be a very good professor because I am passionate about helping others understand the complexities of math, and I would love to broaden the scope of the subject through research. I just don't know whether or not this passion will guarantee any sort of success because from what I've read even the most dedicated people are having trouble finding jobs doing what they love.</p>
<p>Its just a tough switch for me because as an engineering major all I ever hear is how I am guaranteed a job and blah blah and we will always need engineers. Job prospects for PhD's in math are much less optimistic, and this is new to me.</p>