Career Options for Maths Students: UG & PG Degree Courses, Salaries

Individuals who love solving mathematical problems should pursue a career in mathematics. It plays a very crucial role in everyone's life; no one can imagine the world without numbers. It provides individuals with various career opportunities in areas like data analysis, quantitative finance, research, economics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Read further to learn about available career options, skills required, and salaries in this field.

What is the Educational Path for a Maths Career?

To make a career in a mathematics-related field, one needs to complete his or her formal (10+2) education with mathematics as a subject from any recognised institute in India. An individual needs to enrol in a bachelor's degree in maths, economics, computer science, statistics, or any other equivalent field. Most careers related to mathematics ask for a master's degree, hence completing a master's provides many opportunities.

Bachelor's Degree Programme

• BSc in Mathematics
• Bachelor of Computer Applications
• Bachelor of Statistics
• B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology)
• Bachelor of Economics (BE)

Master's Degree Programme

• Master of Computer Applications
• Master of Statistics
• BSc in Information Technology

What are the Career Options Available in the Field of Maths?

Mathematics is a challenging and rewarding field of study which provides individuals to work as data scientists, economists, statisticians, and mathematicians. This section delves into a variety of career options related to mathematics with their description.

Data Scientist: Data scientists are individuals who help the organisation make the right decisions and strong marketing strategies in the global marketplace. Individuals in the data scientist career are analytical professionals that manage data and identify industry trends using their knowledge of social science and technology.

Certifications: Enrolling in data science certification courses help individuals to equip themselves with relevant industry skills. Below are the list of data science certifications which are not mandatory but advantageous.

• Data Science with R Certification Course
• Advanced Programme in Data Sciences
• Certificate Course in Data Science
• Certificate Course in Data Science

Economist: Economists analyse the overall economic market trend and make their analysis at different levels, from small to large, like the entire nation and the global economic market. They use their skills and expertise in research development and acquisition to keep their research in action and control the dynamics of contemporary society.

Certifications: Pursuing certification courses relevant to economics help individuals to understand the banking and financial systems, market analysis, risk management and how overall economics work. Below are the list of relevant economics certifications to make individuals industry ready.

• Certified Credit Risk Manager
• Banking and Financial Markets: A Risk Management Perspective
• Certificate in Financial Risk Management
• Executive Certificate Program in Applied Credit Risk Analytics

Statistician: A statistician is responsible for collecting different kinds of data using primary and secondary data collection methods and analysing them to achieve certain goals. He or she communicates and reports these results to stakeholders and helps in problem-solving and decision-making. The profession of statistician also opens opportunities in multiple fields like engineering, science, and business management.

Certifications: To work as a statistician, individuals are required to equip themselves with comprehensive knowledge of statistical tools and methodology. Below are the list of some certifications which are not mandatory but advantageous.

• Statistics for Business – I
• Statistics for Business - II
• Business Statistics
• Non-parametric Statistical Inference

Mathematician: A mathematician solves real-world problems using mathematical and statistical theories or techniques. He or she works in various fields like engineering, business, healthcare, accounting, education, finance, and any other fields to solve mathematical problems in these areas. He or she is responsible for developing and understanding the relationship between existing and new mathematical theories and principles.

Certifications: Students can pursue below certification courses to make themselves equipped with necessary mathematical skills. Below is the list of relevant certifications courses.

• World Class Maths: Asian Teaching Methods
• Maths Subject Knowledge: Understanding Numbers
• Education Research That Matters: Ways of Researching
• Business Statistics

AI Developer: An artificial intelligence (AI) Developer works in an IT industry who develops artificial intelligence software and applications for the businesses. He or she focuses on creating and deploying AI systems and works on various aspects from natural language processing to robotics.

Certifications: To work as an AI developer an individual must have good command of technical knowledge to work with AI systems. Below are the list of certifications which may help individuals to enhance their technical skills.

• Artificial Intelligence Certification Courses
• Artificial Intelligence For Healthcare Certification Courses
• Machine Learning Certification Courses
• Free Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Courses

Software Developer: A software developer is a person involved in all the processes related to creating and designing software systems; from initial planning to establishing parameters, designing, writing, coding, debugging, encrypting, and testing. He or she often use several programming languages, his or her job is often complex and it involves advanced knowledge in computer science and mathematics.

Certifications: Only completing educational qualifications will not be enough for an individual to make a career in software development. One must have relevant technical skills to work as a developer. Below are the list of certification courses which help an individual with necessary skills.

• Certified API Testing Professional
• Certified PHP Developer
• Certified ReactJS Developer
• PHP and MySQL Training

Cryptographer: A cryptographer is a person who creates and writes the encryption code required for data integrity and safety. He or she uses computer science and mathematics knowledge to create secure encryption, which are used to encrypt data. A cryptographer works with government and financial organisations along with other industries to protect sensitive data.

Certifications: Below are some of the cryptography certifications courses which are not mandatory but help individuals with relevant industry knowledge and skills. These certifications are best for cryptography and available online.

• Cryptography I BY Stanford University, Stanford via Coursera
• Cryptography BY International Information System Security Certification Consortium via Coursera
• Cryptography and Network Security BY Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur via Swayam
• Certified Encryption Specialist (ECES) Training & Certification BY EC-Council via Infosec Train

What are the Skills Required for Maths Related Jobs?

Every career option demands some soft and hard skills to excel in a particular field. Individuals should possess soft skills such as effective communication, attention to detail, problem-solving, and critical thinking. While these skills are important to work effectively, technical skills are more important and vary from one role to another. Here are the common soft and technical skills:

Soft Skills:

• Problem-solving
• Analytical thinking
• Critical thinking
• Communication (written & verbal)
• Attention to detail

Technical Skills:

• Statistics
• Probability
• Calculus
• Linear algebra
• Programming (Python, R, Stata)

Salary of Maths Related Career in India

Jobs in the mathematics field are high-paying and prestigious. Below is a list of job profiles within the mathematics field and their respective salaries.

Source: Glassdoor

Note: The salary figures mentioned anywhere in the article are just for reference purposes. Actual salaries may vary depending on the respective candidates, employer, job location, and numerous other factors.

What is the Work Life Balance in Mathematical Careers?

Work-life balance in a maths-related career is neither tough or easy, as it depends on a specific job profile and work environment. For example, someone in the research field might find maintaining work-life balance tough as he or she needs to research and publish reports on tight deadlines.

On the other hand, someone working as a developer for a company might have low work pressure due to structured deadlines, nature of work and team collaboration. Overall with the job experience and learning one can easily maintain work life balance in careers related to mathematics.

What are the Challenges and Rewards of Mathematical Careers?

Many maths-related careers may demand long working hours, which may lead to stress and pressure, especially for those in the research field. Those who are in related fields need to stay updated with new advancements and technology to excel in their careers. Some related careers, like cryptography and data science, are tough to enter for a person with less experience due to competition.

Mathematical jobs are challenging, but at the same time, these jobs are very prestigious and rewarding. Individuals have multiple career choices to switch jobs if they do not like their current job. Not only this, such careers provide individuals with opportunities to learn new things and grow faster, along with a much higher salary hike.

What is the Job Outlook for Mathematical Careers?

In India, the government is also spending huge amounts on advancement in this field. With the advancement of digital technology and artificial intelligence, the demand for people with mathematical skills has significantly increased. Hence, the number of jobs has increased significantly, specifically in the data science field. The job market is quite lucrative for those with good mathematical skills and knowledge.