Math Ponies

Taking a break from the heavy-handed topic of job searches, I stumbled upon this Tumblr that combines two of my favorite subjects: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and mathematics. Example below:

(Image via MathPonies)

Math Jobs 101 (Part 2)

So in my last post, I went over what criterion I was using to discard job ads I came across in my search. In this one, I'll cover what I have been doing.

Let's start with the word "analyst." Many of the jobs I've applied to over the past few weeks have involved this word in their titles. Examples:

• Business Analyst
• Data Analyst
• Derivatives Analyst
• Junior Analyst
• Quantitative Analyst
• Operations Finance Analyst
• Analytic Science Consultant

The list goes on. These jobs have been in everything from marketing to finance to various tech companies. Speaking of, what industries am I interested in? Well, the two I have been focusing on (since there seems to be a lack of focus in job function) are technology/engineering and finance. These are still very broad categories but thankfully, many of the jobs requiring a mathematics degree are in these areas. Also, most of my experience has been in these areas (save for the one summer I did construction management work and the other one where I did math research).

It's been tough (and very discouraging) to find job advertisements which I really fit well. However, my approach has been to carpet-bomb the job boards and see what comes back. This isn't exactly endorsed by various career blogs but the analytical side of me says it's a game of chance and therefore by sheer volume of applications, someone is bound to interview and, hopefully, hire me. Even if it's 1:1000.

Math Jobs 101 (Part 1)

The hard question I've been asked and been asking is, "What can you do with a math degree?" Usually, I augment this question to read "What can you do with an undergraduate math degree?" The reason behind this is that at the post-graduate level (i.e., candidates with a M.S. or Ph.D.) the job market for mathematicians opens up dramatically. Especially in education and finance, the need for both Masters and Doctoral graduates is quite high.

Anyway, back to us Bachelors. My job search over the past year or so has covered just about every industry I can think of. To get an idea of how many positions require some sort of math skills, go to a job site like Indeed or Monster, type "mathematics" into the keyword field, and press enter. Even after eliminating all the ads for post-graduate candidates, that's still a lot of jobs! With everything from sales/marketing to programming to logistics coordination, I have to narrow down my search a bit. OK, let's use process of elimination to do this.

Out:

• Programming/software engineering - While I have some academic experience in this area, it's quite limited and certainly not at the level needed for these jobs. I could teach myself to program (working on it) but I really need a full time job starting in the next 4-6 months. For now, these ones are out.
• Education w/ certification - There are some grade schools that will accept candidates with a B.S. but most of them understandably require some sort of state certification. Again, finding a job in a timely manner is critical right now so these are out. However, programs not requiring certification are still in.
• Actuarial work - Same problem as teaching + lack of academic experience. The actuarial exams require 8-10 weeks of preparation and the passing rate is only 30%-40%. That time could be better spent looking for other work.
• Finance w/ certification - See actuarial work. Sub in CFA and FINRA exams for P/1 and FM/2.
• Sales/marketing - Unless it's a very quantitative position, these are out. My previous summer job experiences in this area have not been pleasant. 
• Jobs with GPA requirements - I'll put it out there: I don't have a 3.0 GPA. Not even close. While those older (and theoretically wiser) than me tell me the job search is not completely a numbers game, I can't ignore the evidence gathered at 10 semesters worth of career fairs. The #1 takeaway from many of the recruiters at these events has been, "If we specify a 3.0 and you don't have a 3.0, don't bother." Granted, many of these are larger corporations who have to go through thousands of applications but the lesson was well-remembered all the same.
• Entry level positions that aren't truly entry level - What I mean by this are job descriptions being filed under "Entry Level" and still requiring 3-5 years of experience. My search is strictly limited to jobs accepting candidates with 0-3 years of experience and preferably ones with the phrase "new grad" in the title.

So what does that leave us? Actually, while it seems like I'm being picky and taking out huge swathes of jobs, there is still a lot left: analyst positions, business development, etc. Basically, if the job description specifically mentions mathematics as a desired major (and sometimes if it doesn't), doesn't require a post-graduate degree, doesn't fall into one of the categories listed above, and I have a remote interest in it, I'll pursue it.

In my next post, I'll detail what I have been pursuing and the industries/jobs I'm interested in.

First!

Dear Reader:

I'm setting up this blog for a number of reasons:

1) To document what has inevitably become a long, arduous, and increasingly frustrating search for a job that utilizes my shiny new Bachelors of Science in Mathematics. Posts in this vein will talk about jobs/companies I have applied to/for, careers I'm interested in, as well as my progress (and, when the time comes, what I end up doing).

2) To talk about maths-related topics. Posts in this category might cover textbooks I'm reading, interesting maths-related articles I've found while crawling the net, and interesting academic papers being published in the various areas of mathematics.

3) To cover any random topics I choose to write about. These may include but are not limited to: amateur radio, my struggles to learn Chinese, music, literature, &c &c &c.

Hopefully, the writing will be interesting, fairly light when not covering heavy duty maths topics, and maybe even entertaining if I don't ham fist it like the last time I had a blog.

Enjoy!