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I have an issue I am not sure what to do with my math degree. I graduate from a state school almost a year ago with an M.S in Math yet I have struggled to find a job.

This entire time I been tutoring. I have been thinking about the following jobs but I am not sure which one is for me.

  1. Data Scientist. I think about this job. The problem is that I do not know the companies often ask for languages like sql or tableau. I have used sql on a project before to query data. Another thing is I know probability or taken many classes but I do not know statistics as well like making hypothesis from your sample. I think a data scientist tries to use metrics or data to see how well the business is performing to help the management make better decisions.

  2. Computer Programm/software Problem with this is the only programming language I know well is java. I did take a couple of electives in computer science, but I am not sure if I can compete with C.S students. When I look a job advertismenets they list all these languages c++,python, java,javascript, there is no way I can learn all these and have projects to show employers not for years. I know java and I know programming languages like object oriented ones do have similar ideas so if you learn one you can probably learn the others. And I have been working through a book on data structures in java but I feel no one will hire me without work experience.

Another issue is I feel there is a lot of competition as a software developer. I think some of the math classes I took like graph theory would perhaps allow me to understand algorithms better.

  1. Math Teacher I do not want to be a math teacher. Maybe at a community college but I am not sure if you need a PhD. I do have a lot of teaching experience because I taught classes when I was master student.

  2. Actuary This is something I been thinking. I could be an actuary, I would have to take at least two exams to get an entry level position. The only thing is I have the exam are very difficult and even if I take the exam would I get a job I do not want to do something hard like my degree study and then get no reward from my efforts.

The first two exams are probability which I think I know well and financial mathematics. I have no clue about insurances all I know is that companies have to calculate risk to see how much they charge of premiums.

Overall I am not sure what to do should I keep teaching myself programming or try to become an actuary I cannot study both its too much.

IhateCoding
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    It depends upon your goals. If it's to make lots of money, then you might want to get a law degree (they do like folks with Math background). If it's to do what you enjoy, then nobody can answer that for you. – lurker Jun 18 '19 at 17:02
  • I think I like more coding than being an actuary – IhateCoding Jun 18 '19 at 17:08
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    You should do what excites you; the rest will take care of itself. With regard to items 1 and 2, any software company worth its salt will be willing to hire the right person who does not have all of the required skills, and teach them what they need. SQL is not difficult, nor are many of the other technologies you listed. Finally, when you read a job description and requirements, don't be put off if you don't have all of them. You will never get a job you don't apply for. – rogerl Jun 18 '19 at 17:08
  • See what data scientist meant, your opinion is not updated about that. These day it concerns with automation of finding pattern in data by using machine learning. – xrfxlp Jun 18 '19 at 17:11
  • I very much enjoy programming as well, and am scheduled to graduate with a physics degree in one year and am in the process of looking for jobs that would take me on. Links here will be great, phenomenal question. – Kraigolas Jun 18 '19 at 17:17
  • "I am not sure which one is for me"... don't think about it like that. Just because you get one job doesn't pigeonhole you in the future. Additionally, both of those jobs will require you to understand how to program effectively, so you might as well learn. Best advice would be to learn python which has extremely popular data science/ML applications (pytorch/pandas/tensorflow) and also web development applications (Django/flask). Set up a github, make some POLISHED projects that you can show to employers. (1/2) – graeme Jun 18 '19 at 17:19
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    90% of job description requirements are fake. People routinely get hired for jobs that list 3-5 years of experience when they have no professional experience. That doesn't mean they will be willing to hire you if you know nothing, tech interviews are notorious for their difficulty (see Cracking the Coding Interview). You will probably send out 100+ resumes, get maybe 10% initial calls back, and fewer followups. That's just the way it is in tech today for entry level roles (2/2) – graeme Jun 18 '19 at 17:19
  • I think coding jobs are so tricky because you have all this competition. I question if there a job available. I think maybe I will continue to teach myself coding, because it seems actuary is much more specialized while if you know coding like python,c++ you have more options. – IhateCoding Jun 18 '19 at 17:23
  • Problem is learning a language takes a lot of time. College degrees are a bit of a joke now. – IhateCoding Jun 18 '19 at 17:25
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    To teach math at a $2$-year college, you don't need a PhD. It's a job you should be able to get. – quasi Jun 18 '19 at 17:34
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    I suggest you forget programming as a first job unless you have such high grads to impress the employer to invest in you. It is very hard to get into. You need several skills and languages to even be considered. Stick to academic or teaching careers and try in the meantime to build a background in programming or data science (requires statistics). – NoChance Jun 18 '19 at 19:00
  • @NoChance Yeah that is what I been thinking. – IhateCoding Jun 18 '19 at 20:39

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