Is Math in Your Future?

One of the benefits of studying mathematics is the variety of career paths it offers. A 2009 study indicated that the top three professions in terms of income and other factors were math-oriented. Another recent survey stated that the top 15 highest-earning college degrees were in mathematics. The following are seven popular career choices: 

Teaching: The teaching of mathematics at the K-12th level is a high-demand field in which the need is expected to grow significantly as we approach the future. 

Actuarial Science: Actuarial science takes mathematics and statistics and applies them to finance and insurance. It includes a number of interrelating disciplines, including probability and statistics, finance, and economics. 

Computer Science: Computer science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. Mathematicians, with their training in logical and precise thinking, are highly prized in this field. 

Operations Research: Operations research is an interdisciplinary branch of mathematics which uses mathematical methods to arrive at optimal decisions to problems in maximizing or minimizing things like costs or profits. The eventual intention behind using Operations Research is to elicit a best possible solution to a problem mathematically, which improves or optimizes the performance of the system. 

Biomathematics: Mathematical biology or biomathematics is an interdisciplinary field of study. It models natural and biological processes using mathematical techniques and tools. Results have been applied to areas such as cellular neurobiology, epidemic modelling, and population genetics. 

Cryptography: Cryptography is the practice and study of hiding information. Cryptography is considered to be a branch of both mathematics and computer science. Not just for spies anymore, cryptography applications include the security of ATM cards and computer passwords. 

Finance: Finance is a field that studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses, and organizations raise, allocate, and use monetary resources over time, taking into account the risks entailed in their projects. Mathematicians can build models to help explain and predict the behavior of financial markets. Several schools offer Master's degrees in Financial Mathematics.