Math in the Media: The Best jobs of 2015?

I keep telling you....  Math pays!! 

In the Business section of the online newspaper The Huffington Post sits an article by Jennie Che detailing the Best Jobs of 2015, a report prepared each year by CareerCast, ranking the top 200 jobs by work environment, income, stress and hiring outlook. 

And lo and behold, mathematics permeates most of the list, with the actual job of Mathematician, sitting at number 3 (Actuarial Scientist tops the list, with Statistics sitting at number 4).  The HuffPost article

These Are The 10 Best Jobs Of 2015

is a summary of the longer article posted directly in the CareerCast website:

The Best Jobs of 2015

(always go to the source, right?)   Personally, I've held position both in academia and in industry (NASA Goddard and Lincoln Laboratory, as well as in a private tech firm.)  All were great work environments, with interesting people, work conditions, and colleagues.  I certainly cannot argue with the conclusion that math is a great field to play in.

Give the article a read!  It's good stuff.

Math in the Media: Return on Investment in a Math Degree?

So I would up devoting my life to the study of Mathematics because I absolutely love the subject.  It is inherently beautiful, surprisingly counter-intuitive, and seems to exhibit a logical framework for all that is in a way that I find ever intriguing.

However..., the study of math at a high level is also quite lucrative!!

Here is an article from Bloomberg Business Week, from June:

Undergrad Business Majors Don't Get the Career Payback Math Majors Do

You must love this title from my perspective.  The article highlights a measure of the lifetime worth of different college majors in term of a return on investment of time and effort.  Some majors are harder than others, I am sure.  And why they decided to include math and computer science together is a mystery to me (perhaps that is how the business world sees us?  As the studiers of logic?

In any case, they make a good case for choosing math as a major while here in the Ivory Tower. Call that reason number..., what... 132 in the countably infinite number of reasons why someone can benefit from choosing math as a major?  (BTW, have you heard that over 80% of statistics are made up on the spot?)

Give it a read.  I will await your change-of-major form....  ;-)

Employment Op: Business Intel and Math

People often ask me what kinds of jobs math majors can get other than science applications or as an actuary. Really, the answer is: All Kinds. Usually, one needs a good hook in an outside area to get into the interview. But then the analytical skill set of a mathematician can shine. However, sometimes recruiters simply understand well that someone skilled in mathematical analysis possesses the ability to learn most skills very quickly. These recruiters are willing to take a math major who can learn on the job, quickly and efficiently.

I just got this request from a recruiter. Read it and go for it. Sounds like an interesting career:

Thorogood Associates is currently recruiting college seniors for full time business intelligence consulting positions. We are contacting you, as the [Director of Undergraduate Studies] of the Mathematics Department, because we think you may know students that would be good candidates for this position.

As a business information consultancy, Thorogood helps its clients use their data to make better business decisions. Our work has both a business and technology aspect. We don’t necessarily look for education or experience in both of these areas but rather an interest and an aptitude that will allow a candidate to be successful in this type of work.

We are seeking candidates that have excellent problem solving skills, leadership qualities, and initiative. Candidates must be willing to take responsibility for the achievement of results, have self-confidence, and be energetic and friendly.

If you know of any students that have the qualities that would allow them to be successful in this position, please let them know about this opportunity. They can apply for this position via J-Connect. Applications are due on January 30^th, 2012. We will be conducting on-campus interviews at JHU on February 7^th, 2012. Any questions can be sent to USRecruitment@thorogood.com.

Check them out at: www.thorogood.com

Summer Internship Oppo!

Hey, just got word from the Mathematics Research Group over at the National Security Agency (NSA: You know those guys, right?). The Director's Summer Program is a research-based 12 weeks in the summer where one works on issues involving pure mathematics, cryptology and communications technology. It is a paid position, prestigious, and of course highly competitive. It would also be a great career booster, even if you really have no intention of working at the NSA in the future.

The application process is all online, and the deadline is October 15. Give it a look.

Jobs Opps for seniors...?

Hey Majors (and especially you seniors....),

What are you thinking of doing after your stint here at Hopkins is done? While this question is rhetorical (for now), time flies when graduation approaches. I get many bits of information about opportunities at times. here are a few for you:

1. The JHU Fall Career fair is next Wednesday. I haven't stopped in to one of these yet, but the list of participants has over a hundred companies and organizations. They wouldn't be there if they weren't interested in what you have to offer them. Give it a try.
2. The National Bureau of Economic Research, in Cambridge, MA, has a need for full-time Research Assistants, one year positions starting in the summer, for students interested in a bit of research experience before starting graduate school in a quantitative field (not necessarily economics, mind you). Click on the image for a flyer. Nice place, the NBER. Seriously good place to stay for a year.
3. The Quantitative Trading and Analysis program at Citigroup is looking for Almost Bachelors and Masters students in Mathematics who have an interest in Wall Street-type analysis. Here is a flyer for this one also. And Okay Kayaoglu, who graduated here last year, specifically mentioned that he is looking for Hopkins students.
   
4. Campus Coordinator and Senior Hopkins student Nicholas Gilson has put out the call for Teach for America, a non-profit that places graduating seniors and graduate students in low-income classrooms for a two year stint to learn the art of teaching and give a bit to the world. It's a wonderful opportunity to take some time to adjust to life outside of college, and to enrich your life and credentials with valuable teaching experience. The next application deadline is in October. Give the website a look, and Nicholas an email if you are interested. Here is an article on the program.
   

I'll have others, I am sure. But these look like interesting leads, no? Happy life-getting! And talk to me if you want or need further information. if you are interested in the last item, I have Okay's email address.

Summer Research Op....

This just came in across my desk.

A summer research opportunity for math majors, called the The Research in Industrial Projects (RIPS) Program, a venture of the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). The RIPS Program "provides an opportunity for exceptional students in math and related disciplines to work in teams on real world research projects by a sponsor from [either] industry or a national lab." From the website:

Projects are selected to have a major mathematical component and to be something that will pose an interesting challenge to talented undergraduates. Recent projects have included how to do a physics-based animation of a lava lamp, how to stitch together two images, how to analyze cancer data using microarrays, statistical data assimilation methods for weather data, modeling particle transport phenomena in reactors, and designing missions to the moons of Jupiter.

Recent projects have included organizations like Pixar, Microsoft, Symantec, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, among others.

Details can be found at www.ipam.ucla.edu/rips, and the deadline for applying in February 15, 2010. Happy op hunting!

So you want to teach?

Hey soon-to-be-math-major grads.....

Any interest in teaching? Building a career with good time off (think summers!), a relatively stress-free environment, stable career, and that good feeling one gets when you realize you are making a difference in someone else's life?

Math for America (MfA), an organization whose mission is "to improve math education in US public secondary schools by recruiting, training and retaining outstanding mathematics teachers", is offering five-year Fellowships to earn a Master's Degree in Mathematics Education and a teaching position. They are seeking 60 new fellows in the New York City area alone (with other opportunities in DC, Los Angeles and San Diego).

The New York City fellows will get their degree from MfA NY partner universities Bard College, NYU or the Teacher's College at Columbia.

The fellowship includes all tuition for the degree, a total five year stipend of 100K and a regular teacher's salary for the last four years of the fellowship. An excellent opportunity to be trained the right way. All of the contact information and application stuff is on the website. I have additional contact info with me, should you be interested.

They are actively looking for new fellows. Be a part of it?