<p>pmvd</p>
<p>People with bachelors degrees in engineering end up working for people with masters degrees in engineering. In whatever field that may be (assuming they stay in engineering of course).</p>
<p>Fortunately, nobody ever smirks at me when I told them I major in math. At my school, math majors get lots of respect because the university has a reputation in mathematics. A fun fact at my school: the math department elevators are used the most by the students comparing to other department elevators. Proof-based math courses are very different from the AP or BC calculus that you usually have in high school.
Speaking of applying what you learn as a math major to the real world, I think there are lots of places you can use your mathematics education. A bachelor degree in pure math doesn’t give you tons of opportunities comparing to an engineering guy, but a master degree in pure or applied math can really get you somewhere outside teaching. Ph.Ds in math make lots of money I believe, but mathematicians don’t really care much about making lot lot of money though. It’s their passion to do math. My real analysis professor used to work for an automobile company in Germany and had higher salary than being a professor. He quit his job because he sometimes he had to fulfill some “ridiculous” demands for the cars from the customers. One of the students once asked him to tell us how we can apply real analysis in the real world. He said he’s a pure mathematician and he doesn’t care about the real world. He said that’s the job for engineers, scientists, physicists to do. I believe that’s the attitude most mathematicians have. Look at Professor Wiles who solved the Fermat’s Last Theorem, he didn’t care if the solution can be applied to the real world or not. It’s just the joy to work on such a problem.
One important point about math is that most of the problems are interrelated in different branches of math. Who would imagine that the proofs for the fundamental theorem of algebra is based on analysis. Hence, the solution to one problem could give lots of results for other problems.
I invite you guys who are math majors as well as non-math majors to watch this very insightful video. “The importance of mathematics education by Professor Timothy Gowers”
<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsIJN4YMZZo&feature=PlayList&p=0A5ECAB61DB79E23&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=28[/url]”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsIJN4YMZZo&feature=PlayList&p=0A5ECAB61DB79E23&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=28</a></p>
<p>Here is a diagram in my textbook which I think is true about applying mathematics.
Mathematical problem -> mathematical solution -> Real world problem -> mathematical problem.
First arrow: pure mathematics
Second arrow: interpretation
Third arrow: abstraction</p>
<p>So what about people like me, Math and Computer Science double majors???</p>
<p>
I think doubling in math and computer science is pretty awesome. I can’t do it because I suck at programming. Not many people can handle such load of work like yours. I think you have lots of chance getting high salary with your two majors. I know a guy who doubles major in math and computer science and he is going to grad school in math.
I guess you do care about real world problems, right? My point in the previous thread is to answer to those who ask how one can benefit from studying mathematics by applying it to the real world problems. The answer is that sometimes we don’t care if a math problem is applicable in the real world or not.
This is a story about Euclid that I read when learning geometry, and I found it interesting. Once time a student of Euclid asked him, “What is the value of learning geometry?” In response, Euclid told his slave, “Give him a coin because he needs to make gain from what he learns.”</p>
<p>thank you for that handbook thatposhgirl,
it looks very informative</p>
<p>and don’t most people smirk at psychology majors, art majors, philosophy majors alot more often??</p>
<p>I used to be art major so LOL used to this 
well then I transferred to my school’s animation major (my school’s film school is one of the best if not the best film school in the nation though) and I don’t know anymore</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>passionate, you are lucky.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What’s the name of the school? I’d at least attempt to transfer.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>In theory.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Really? Can you give me some concrete examples?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sure, as long as their passion never dies.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I wonder if your professor would have the same attitude if his job at the university paid only $35,000 per year. I bet he doesn’t have a family.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I understand.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I know a guy who majored in math and today he still whines about his meager $35,000 a year job doing something that has nothing to do with math.</p>
<p>I wish people would let this thread die like it was supposed to.</p>
<p>Let me sum it up so people don’t need to read the whole thing:</p>
<p>Majoring in math is totally legit. Anyone who thinks math doesn’t or shouldn’t get respect doesn’t know what they are talking about. Engineering, physics, and comp sci are legit too. When I meet someone new who studies one of these things I immediately think higher of them.</p>
<p>To people who say math won’t get you a job:</p>
<p>Although it is true that no one is going to hire you to sit a desk and do problem sets, having a math degree shows that you have above average intelligence. It also indicates you can write well and articulate your thoughts. Contrary to popular opinion, math majors are also good writers. Writing articulate proofs gives us a lot of practice. I don’t know a single math major that does worse in humanities than math, and I know plenty that do better.</p>
<p>PMVD must just be hanging around the wrong crowd.</p>
<p>smirk</p>
<p>noun
- a smile expressing smugness or scorn instead of pleasure </p>
<p>verb
- smile affectedly or derisively </p>
<p>They probably just feel bad they aren’t math majors. </p>
<p>I’ve heard nothing but good news about math majors, and their life after completing their undergraduate education. Another reason why you might want to consider not dropping out? </p>
<p>Additionally, math majors have an incredibly diverse array of options when it come to employment.</p>
<p>math is what the cool kids do</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Euler, I didn’t know that math majors are good writers. I suppose it depends on the person.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>ComradeD, that is false. It is true that you can take you math degree and try to go to law school or what not, but there isn’t much you can do with just a degree in math. You can’t even do teaching, the only job for which all math majors seem to be qualified, because you need an education degree for that.</p>
<p>“You can’t even do teaching, the only job for which all math majors seem to be qualified, because you need an education degree for that.”</p>
<p>Not at private schools. I’ve gotten a bunch of e-mails about high school teaching positions that only require a bachelors in your major.</p>
<p>In North Carolina public schools, you do not necessarily need a math degree or an education degree to teach mathematics – four year degree + certification will do it.</p>
<p>EDIT: What is up with the weird symbols above my post?</p>
<p>EDIT2: Huh?</p>
<p>Oh, great. It’s messed up.</p>
<p>pmvd</p>
<p>I’ll name you some fields you can get into with an undergrad math degree:
-anything compsci related
-cryptography
-bioinformatics
-operations research
-forestry (I’m serious)
-engineering mechanics
-finance</p>
<p>That is off the top of my head and is by no means exhaustive. Math can be paired with other things that make it powerful. Don’t even tell me “but you’ll need classes outside of a math major to do any of that stuff”. It usually takes 30 credits for a major and 120 to graduate, that is 90 credits to take whatever you want. Just because math isn’t like engineering which has a very strict schedule doesn’t mean you can’t load up on useful classes. Out of all the math majors I know, I don’t know a single one that doesn’t have a double major or an extensive background in something else.</p>
<p>Sure you could intentionaly nerf your schedule as much as possible, taking lots of bredth but have no depth to go into any specific field. Follow this up by never getting any relevant jobs or internships. Who would do this? You can also get a degree in math without taking an intermediate probability course, diff eq, or combinatorics. What’s the point?</p>
<p>If you do things right, a math degree can really open doors.</p>
<p>^
Ah, yes, vindication feels good, and I didn’t even need to do it myself. If you are so worried discuss your issue w/ a career center counselor.</p>
<p>Also here are some links. The first includes jobs that actual math majors got:
[Career</a> Center - What Can I Do With a Major In…?](<a href=“http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Math.stm]Career”>http://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Math.stm) </p>
<p>[Mathematics[/url</a>]</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.career.fsu.edu/img/pdf/mm/math.pdf[/url]”>http://www.career.fsu.edu/img/pdf/mm/math.pdf](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools)</a> <---------I especially like this link.</p>
<p>Postgraduate education is becoming increasingly necessary in all fields. I think certification to become a primary or secondary teacher takes only one additional year after receiving your degree. Additionally, I’ve heard those classes which bring about certification are not exactly the most difficult (they are the same for art teachers as they are for math teachers).
</p>
<p>I have a lot of respect for math majors. It’s not easy.</p>
<p>I wish I had the brains to be a math major. I have nothing but respect for all y’all.</p>
<p>Wow I totally forgot about:</p>
<p>actuary
statistician
biostatistician
cartography (google maps!)
geology (someone has to find the oil!)
risk analyst</p>
<p>These are pretty common too.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Not with all the comp sci majors running around. They are more attractive when it comes
to comp science related jobs.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Very high IQ</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You need a background in those subjects.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You need classes outside of a math major to do any of that stuff. Sorry, it’s true.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The question is, what can you do with a degree in math? I am not talking about “a degree in math AND something else.” It’s like saying “What can I do with a degree in music?” “Oh, tons of stuff, provided that you were also a Finance double major, etc.”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I know people who have done just that.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Right, if you double major in math and something else you’ll be all set, but then your math major is less relevant and most likely you’ll get any of the jobs you mentioned not thanks to your degree in math but the other subject you studied.</p>