Mathematician

If your daily conversations often include the word “pi,” you already have a finger on the pie of this job. Of course a Mathematician will work with math, but your talents and knowledge go far beyond the ability to balance a checkbook, create a budget, or figure out how much the shirt on the 30% off rack will cost.

Beyond doing simple math, you spend your days as a Mathematician doing things like estimating the direction of the stock market, or calculating how many participants in a medical study experienced a particular side effect. You crack secret codes, calculate the needed support for a suspension bridge, design computer software, work to improve national defense, contribute to the improvement of medicines, and teach the next generation about math.

Mathematicians work in virtually every field of science, and go by names like Economist, Statistician, Cryptanalyst, or Engineer. You work in a variety of fields such as computer science, medicine, financial markets, electronics, teaching, or planning.

Obviously, there are innumerable ways to use your math skills within these fields. Common employers include the federal government, pharmaceutical companies, brokerage houses, research and development departments, universities, and computer software companies. Good qualities to have in this field include critical thinking, an analytical mind, a passion for numbers, effective communication skills, and computer knowledge.