Mathematics has always been one of the most attractive & challenging subjects among the students. It is creative, logical & rewarding too.  According to the Mathematical Association of America, the requirement for mathematics expert is an increasing function. After completion of graduate & post-graduate degrees in mathematics, your career graph may have several edges with attractive career opportunities.

Mathematics Eligibility Criteria: The minimum eligibility requirement to make a career in mathematics is to pass higher secondary examination with mathematics. Now the candidate can pursue higher studies in mathematics.

Acquired Skills:

• Constructing logical arguments
• Problem solving
• Decision making
• Critical thinking
• Analytical thinking
• Quantitative reasoning

Career Options in Mathematics:

From science & technology to business& healthcare, mathematics is relevant to nearly all the industries. An accomplished mathematician has a wide array of career prospects. Mathematics is essential in the fields such as science, technology & engineering. The skills like problem-solving, decision making & critical thinking are highly preferable for a candidate in the present era of science & technology. 

“You won’t see too many job postings for theoretical mathematicians, but where the field of study becomes especially valuable is in a graduate’s ability to apply mathematical concepts to solve any problem they put their mind to,” Thomas Goulding (lead faculty member for Northeastern University’s programs in artificial intelligence and analytics) says. “Mathematicians have strongly developed logical skills and decomposition skills, they’re very organized, and they can more easily attack big-picture problems.”

Mathematics can lead us to two distinct career directions: academia or industry. There is always an opportunity for a mathematician in teaching & research job along with a wide range of scope in various industry-related jobs in statistics, engineering, physical science, computer science, insurance, economics, astronomy, banking and accountancy.

Jobs directly related to the degree include:

• Actuarial analyst: Mathematical & statistical modeling has been used to predict the financial position of an organization. Actuaries are an essential part of Insurance industries for optimizing policies to minimize the risk.
• Data analyst: Data analyst use mathematical & statistical analysis to solve complex problems in business & make strategic, logical data-driven decision. Statistical tools have been used to interpret data sets with predictive decision-making modeling.
• Financial analyst: Financial analysts estimate the scope of investment in the bank, pension schemes, mutual funds & other business. Financial analysts evaluate past & present financial data to gain better insight into the economic condition for any scheme.
• Teacher: After completing PH.D. one can apply for an assistant professor job in various college\universities. Schools also offer good jobs for mathematics graduates and postgraduates as a mathematics teacher in both the government as well as in the private sector.
• Research scientist: Except academic jobs, mathematicians can apply for research-related jobs at good remuneration and package in Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), National Aeronautic Limited (NAL) and Society for Electronic Transaction and Security (SETS).
• Operational Researcher: Operational researchers used mathematical skills to improve the operations of any organization. Graduate as well as post-graduate students can pursue this as their career.
• Cryptographer: Intelligence agencies hire cryptographers for encoding & decoding sensible data to keep it safe from malicious hackers. Cryptography is an application of Number theory.
• Meteorologist: A meteorologist job is to study the information obtained from the land, sea, upper atmosphere, and depending on these studies, he/she has to predict the weather. After completing post-graduation in Mathematics, one can apply in different sectors (both private and government) which do or use meteorological forecasts.
• sector job: With the initiative of the Chancellor, Adamas University, a professional studies course has been introduced along with the regular core papers. It will prepare the students in soft skills so that he/she will be able to understand the intricacies of preparing for higher-level examinations e.g. IAS, IPS, WBCS & other govt. jobs. After completion of the postgraduate degree in Mathematics students can appear for the GATE exam. If a student can be able to crack the GATE exam then he/she can apply in all PSU companies such as HAL, ONGC, IOC, etc.

Further study: Further study is also an option for mathematics graduates. Postgraduate studies like M.SC. or PH.D. are mandatory for a career in academics.

Conclusion:

The graduation/post-graduation degree in mathematics provides students marketable attractive skills for various aspects of life. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market for mathematicians is predicted to rise by a whopping 30 percent in this coming decade. So, in the present socio-economic scenario, the program may turn out to be a valuable asset to students.

N.B:  Special thanks to Dr. Santanu Biswas for his contribution on this article.