I am a mathematics and Classical studies double major. I am not sure what I am going to do for a future career.
Now that information is out, let me set the stage of what prompted this article:
I'm standing next to another girl, both of us waiting for our drinks as they're being made. We strike up conversation to pass the time. She 's a philosophy major with a double minor in something (I must admit I've forgotten what they were), and I tell her my majors. The conversation is one that I've done a hundred times since deciding to go to college for mathematics:
"Oh, I hate math."
"You can be my tax accountant!"
"What will you do with a mathematics major?"
"Are you going to be a teacher?"
"Are you going to be an accountant?"
My answer is always the same and somewhere along the lines of: I don't know what I'm going to do, but it's not going to be teaching or accounting. That isn't my passion for mathematics.
I feel as though I've become quite tolerant of people's incredulous looks and common responses to the point where I repeat this script so often I've considered coming up with other majors just to change things up a bit. Normally, not knowing what my future career path will be and having two minority majors of the college does not bother me that much. I'm only a freshman, and I don't have to know my career path yet; I've got lots of time to figure it out. I'm doing the majors I enjoy, which is better than suffering through courses I don't like in a major for a career I will never apply for.
However, the girl beside me decided to give me some parting advice as we both picked up our drinks. "You ought to change your major," she informed me, sipping on her drink lightly before reeling back at the scalding heat. "You'll never get any job with a math major." I took the advice and tossed it jauntily into the trash with my straw wrapper as I left.
But I started thinking, just how many people thought that the only occupations for mathematics majors were either teaching or accounting? Because, while those may be the two most popular options, I have plenty of options available to me with just my mathematics major.
Mathematics majors can go into the many various branches of mathematics, participating in research, finance, accounting, insurance, actuaries, statisticians, biomathematics, cryptography, engineering, chemical or pharmaceutical manufacturing, computer programming, teaching, geophysical mathematician, photogrammetrist, inventory strategist, and more.
If you don't want to go straight into mathematics directly, then you can use your mathematics major as a backing of your skills. Mathematics majors have a sound, logical reasoning. They learn creative problem solving as well as the ability to effectively convey information concisely. We learn to work both as a group and individually and work through problems. Not to mention we can do math often without a calculator. With those skills developed and honed through the successful completion of a mathematics major, we are often quick students who can follow rules and adapt quickly to new settings. Often, careers mathematics majors choose to do training for their new employees anyway to make sure they know how the company does it.
I could go on and on, honestly, about the opportunities I will have available to me to start narrowing down my career as I progress in classes. But my question to the girl who started me on this rant is perfectly phrased by one of my friends: "What is a philosophy major going to do? Think about getting a job?" Now, that may be a bit more of a blunt retort than my long essay, but I really get tired of answering the same questions over and over, and I would've thought a philosophy major would've understood the struggle.
The moral of this story is: Be kind to your local math major; we may eventually take over the world.
Sincerely,
A Mathematics Major with a World of Career Opportunities Available
