MATHEMATICIAN ranked #1 Occupation in Latest Study


Les Krantz, author of The Jobs Rated Almanac, has recently completed a study for JobsRated.com ranking 200 jobs from best to worst. The criteria used were stress, physical demands, hiring outlook, compensation, and work environment. The top 20 jobs are as follows:

  1. Mathematician
  2. Actuary
  3. Statistician
  4. Biologist
  5. Software Engineer
  6. Computer Systems Analyst
  7. Historian
  8. Sociologist
  9. Industrial Engineer
  10. Accountant
  11. Economist
  12. Philosopher
  13. Physicist
  14. Parole Officer
  15. Meteorologist
  16. Medical Laboratory Technician
  17. Paralegal Assistant
  18. Computer Programmer
  19. Motion Picture Editor
  20. Astronomer
Also see the article "Doing the Math to Find Good Jobs" in the Wall Street Journal, January 6, 2009.

Check out the article "Why It Pays to Be a Math Geek" on www.careerbuilder.com. Also read about the attributes math majors have for which they are frequently hired.

Here are various links to nonacademic job opportunities for mathematics majors.

  • Mathematical Sciences Career Information (including profiles of career mathematicians in non-academic positions)
  • SIAM Report on Mathematics in Industry (see especially the sections on Applications of Mathematics and Opportunities in Mathematics in "The Roles of Mathematics")
  • American Mathematical Society's Resources for Undergraduates in Mathematics
  • Society of Actuaries
  • Should You Prepare Differently for a Non-academic Career?
  • Mathematical Association of America's Career Profiles
  • On-Line Job Information and Listing Services
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook (Bureau of Labor Statistics) (see especially the section on mathematics)

    • Check out a website maintained by Luchsinger Mathematics listing all sorts of job opportunities for mathematicians all over the world (including the US)!!

    Don't forget to check out our own alumni questionnaires!!

     

     

    You might want to look at the following books published by the Mathematical Association of America:

    101 Careers in Mathematics, Andrew Sterrett, Editor

    She Does Math! (Real-Life Problems from Women on the Job), Marla Parker, Editor

    On a related matter, see Agnes Scott College's wonderful history of women in mathematics.

     

     

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