In this section, you ill find information on a number of topics. Scroll down or click on the indivual topics below to be directed to the desired sub-section.
1.1 List of Careers That Use Mathematics
1.2 Career Profiles
1.3 Other Resources on Careers
2.1 The School of Physical Sciences’ s Mentor Program
2.2 The Career Center at UCI
2.3 List of local companies who have expressed interest in math majors at recent UCI job fairs
2.4 List of national companies offering Internships and full time jobs suitable for math majors
2.5 Other job search resources
3.1. Mission Statement
3.2. Services
3.3. Resources
3.4. Events
1. Careers In Mathematics
An undergraduate mathematics education can be an entryway to many rewarding and engaging career opportunities.
The Wall Street Journal article “Doing the Math to Find the Good Jobs”, by Sarah E. Needleman, rates the “Mathematician” at the very first spot on a ranking of the best jobs in the U.S. Other jobs at the top of the study's list include actuary, statistician, biologist, software engineer and computer-systems analyst, all jobs that require strong mathematical knowledge.
A recent survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which tracks college graduates' job offers states that "The top 15 highest-earning college degrees all have one thing in common -- math skills.”
"Math is at the crux of who gets paid", said Ed Koc, director of research at NACE. "If you have those skills, you are an extremely valuable asset. We don't generate enough people like that in this country."
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1.1 List of Careers That Use Mathematics
The website http://weusemath.org/ published the following list of careers that use math, with their respective high-end salaries. Click on a career title for more information, including the kind of math they use.
1.2 Career Profiles
The MAA website offers the profile of several graduates now involved in a wide variety of careers. Most of them use mathematics on a daily basis, and all of them rely on the general problem solving skills acquired in their mathematics courses.
The AMS’s Early Career Profile Network presents the profile of recent bachelors-level graduates in the mathematical sciences, and constitutes a valuable source of information for recent graduates and for prospective mathematical sciences majors.
The SIAM website presents the profile of several professional mathematicians and computational scientists.
The UCI School of Physical Sciences presents the profile of science professionals who graduated from UCI and are now acting as mentors for current UCI students. The PS Mentor Program offers students a personal, one-on-one opportunity to explore career possibilities and learn about the experiences of alumni in the same field.
1.3 Other Resources on Careers
Websites
AMS offers lots of tips for students contemplating a career centered on mathematics.
SIAM offers a very useful guide to Careers in Applied Mathematics.
The site was developed by math majors at Brigham Young University. It contains information about careers in mathematics, and tips on how to succeed in math.
The website WhyDoMath highlights how mathematical and computational analyses have proved to be uniquely insightful for solving a myriad of problems in science, society and our everyday lives.
Tips for a career in finance.
Tips for a career in business.
Tips for a career in statistics.
Tips to become an actuary.
Videos
The "Careers in Mathematics" video contains interviews with mathematicians working in industry, business and government.
- Good Choices for Great Careers in the Mathematical Sciences https://client.blueskybroadcast.com/siam08/hyman/
A talk from SIAM Past President Mac Hyman about the importance of passion, talent, and environment in developing a successful career.
Books
- Great Jobs for Math Majors - Second edition, by Stephen Lambert and Ruth DeCotis.
The book covers the mechanics of searching for a job (e.g., how to write a resume, how to prepare for an interview and how to conduct a follow up); it gives tips on selecting a graduate school and describes some of the occupations suitable for a math major.
- 101 Careers in Mathematics - Second Edition, by Andrew Sterrett Jr.
A collection of 101 short essays written by people who work in many different fields, as a demonstration of the enormous number of ways mathematics is used in the modern world. You will learn about job opportunities in predictable places like IBM or AT&T, and in surprising places like FedEx Corporation, L.L. Bean, and Perdue Farms, Inc.
- She Does Math!: Real-Life Problems from Women on the Job, by Marla Parker (Editor) and the Mathematical Association of America (Corporate Author)
38 professional women describe their career path (how much math they took in high school and college, how they chose their field of study and how they ended up in their current job) and present a collection of typical problems they encounter in their jobs and solve with the use of mathematics.
Articles
Below are a series of career-related articles (mostly from the SIAM or the AMS website), to help graduates make the transition from school to a successful and satisfying career.
- Examples Are Better than Proofs, and Other Thoughts on Teaching, by Gilbert Strang, December 2011
- Interview Tips for Winning that Dream Job, by Tom Grandine, November 2011
- Professional Ethics: Taking the High Road, by Dianne P. O’Leary, October 2011
- My Experiences as an Industrial Research Mathematician, by Andrew R. Conn, May 2011
- Top Ten Ways to Lose an Audience, by Tamara Kolda and Virginia Torczon, April 2011
- I Am Not Your Supermom—Balancing Family and Work, by Elebeoba May, March 2011
- What Can You Do with a Degree in Math?, January/February 2011
- Talking Science, Learning Policy, by Katherine Socha, December 2010
- Applying for a Job at a Small Teaching-oriented Undergraduate Institution, by Kurt Bryan, November 2010
- A Career in the Math Sciences at a National Lab (or What I Wish I’d Known in Grad School, by Natalia Alexandrov, October 2010
- Landing a Junior Academic Position in the U.S., by Laurent Demanet, September 2010
- On the Art of Procuring Reference Letters, by David Keyes, July/August 2010
- Life After Graduate School: What's Next, by Susan E. Minkoff, June 2010
- What Do Mathematicians Do?, by A. J. Berrick, Department of Mathematics, National University of Singapore
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Mathematicians, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
2. Job Search Resources
2.1 The School of Physical Sciences’ s Mentor Program
The School of Physical Sciences Mentor Program connects current students with science professionals to provide a personal, one-on-one opportunity for students to explore career possibilities and allow mentors to share their experiences.
Mentors sign-up by completing their professional profile. After the mentors have registered, students review the mentor's professional profiles to pick the mentor best fit for them. Students then complete the student sign-up form. After a mentor and student are paired, each will be notified of who their mentor or student is and have their first opportunity to meet at the Kick-off Reception in November. Mentors and students will then be encouraged to set-up meetings on a regular basis (approximately once a month). Various events and workshops will also take place throughout the year which mentors and students can attend together.
Through this mentoring program students
- Receive constructive feedback about personal and professional skills
- Learn about specific jobs, career paths, industries, and organizational cultures
- Pursue networking opportunities
- Take a proactive step toward a successful future.
2.2 The UCI Career Center
All of their services, events, and resources are centered on providing access to opportunities, career consulting, and professional education to UCI students and alumni. They serve as a bridge between the academic and professional world, connecting students and employers, and offer an incredible number of resources for students applying for internships. For more information please visit the Student Opportunities page on our website.
2.3 List of local companies who have expressed interest in math majors at recent UCI job fairs
The UCI Career Center has kindly provided the following list of companies, job titles and job types for which employers have recruited math majors in the last year. You can download it here.
The companies without job titles were career fair attendees, all the others companies posted ads on ZotLink and/or participated in On-Campus Interviews. The list does not include companies looking for tutors or teachers, for brevity reasons.
For more information, please contact the Career Center.
2.4 List of national companies offering Internships and full time jobs suitable for math majors
The list was updated on January, 2012.
Career Information: https://www.abbottcareers.com/JobBoard/GlobalJobBoard
Internship Information: https://www.jobs.abbott/
Career Information: http://www.aero.org/careers/
Internship Information: http://www.aerospace.org/careers/internships/
AIRFORCE OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Career Information: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5826
Career Information: http://corp.aol.com/careers/current-job-openings
Career Information: http://www.apple.com/jobs/us/students-degree.html
Internship Information: http://www.apple.com/jobs/us/students.html
Career Information: http://www.appliedmaterials.com/about/careers
Internship Information: https://appliedmat.taleo.net/careersection/10060adv/moresearch.ftl?lang=en&radiusType=M&radius=1
ARGONNE LABORATORIES (US DEPARMENT OF ENERGY
Career Information: http://www.anl.gov/Careers/index.html
Internship Information: http://www.dep.anl.gov/p_undergrad/
Career Information: http://att.jobs/careers.aspx
Internship Information: http://www.research.att.com/evergreen/working_with_us/internships.html?fbid=v11hOvcb761
Career Information: http://careers.bankofamerica.com/overview/overview.asp
Campus recruiting: http://careers.bankofamerica.com/campus.aspx
Internship Information: http://careers.bankofamerica.com/campusrecruiting/analyst_internships.asp
Career Information: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/careers/entry_level.html
Internship Information: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/careers/students.html
Career Information: http://boeing.com/careers/
Internship Information: http://www.boeing.com/careers/collegecareers/index.html
Career Information: http://www.springer.com/about+springer/career/
Internship Information: http://www.springer.com/about+springer/career/interns?SGWID=0-1717313-0-0-0
Career Information: http://www.boozallen.com/careers
Internship Information: http://www.boozallen.com/careers/find-your-job/internships
Career Information: http://www-dam.cea.fr/statique/emploi/emploi.htm
Career and Internship Information: https://communities.cisco.com/community/general/universityconnection
Career Information: http://careers.citigroup.com/Careers/Default.jsp?lang=en
Internship Information: http://internships.about.com/od/banks/p/citiinternships.htm
DEFENSE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION (DSTO)
Career Information: http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/careers/
Internship Information: http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/careers/page/3990/
Career Information: http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/careers.aspx
Internship Information: http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/internships.aspx
Career Information: http://www.emc.com/about/jobs/index.htm
Internship Information: http://www.emc.com/corporate/jobs/paid-internships-and-co-ops.htm
Career Information: http://careers.fidelity.com/home/index.shtml
Internship Information: http://jobs.fidelity.com/students/interns.html
Student job Information: http://careers.fidelity.com/student/undergrad/index.shtml
Career Information: http://careers.gm.com/
Internship Information: http://careers.gm.com/student-center.html
Career Information: http://www2.goldmansachs.com/careers/index.html
Internship Information: http://www2.goldmansachs.com/careers/choose-your-path/our-programs/index.html
Career Information: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/jobsathp/
Internship Information: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/jobsathp/students-graduates/programs/internship-opportunities.html
Career Information: http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/us/
Internship Information: http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/university.html
INSTITUTE FOR COMPUTATIONAL ENGINEERING AND SCIENCES
Career Information: http://www.ices.utexas.edu/about/jobs/
Internship Information: http://www.ices.utexas.edu/programs/summer-internship/
INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES
Career Information: https://www.ida.org/careers.php
Internship Information: https://www.ida.org/careers/graduatestudents/interns.php
Career Information: http://www.intel.com/jobs/careers/
Internship Information: http://www.intel.com/jobs/usa/students/internships/
THE JOHN HOPKINS APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORIES
Career Information: http://www.jhuapl.edu/employment/
Internship Information: http://www.jhuapl.edu/employment/summer/
Career Information: http://www.kuberresystems.com/careers/index.html
LAWRENCE BERKELEY NATIONAL LAB
Career Information: http://jobs.lbl.gov/
Internship Information: http://csee.lbl.gov/Programs/undergraduate.html
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LAB
Career Information: http://careers-llnl.ttcportals.com
Internship Information: https://internships.llnl.gov/
Career Information: http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/hr/jobs/index.shtml
Internship Information http://www.lanl.gov/education/undergrad/internships.shtml
Internship Information: http://www.mediabright.net/internship-details
Career Information: http://www.mentor.com/company/careers/us_college/
Internship Information: http://www.mentor.com/company/careers/
Career Information: http://www.merck.com/careers/explore-careers/home.html
Internship Information: http://www.merck.com/careers/explore-careers/students-and-graduates/home.html
Career Information: https://www.metsci.com/Default.aspx?tabid=164
Career Information: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/jobs/default.aspx
Internship Information: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/jobs/intern/apply.aspx
Career Information: http://www.mitre.org/employment/index.html
Internship Information: http://www.mitre.org/employment/student_opps.html
Career Information: http://www.nasajobs.nasa.gov/
Internship Information: http://www.nasajobs.nasa.gov/studentopps/employment/programs.htm
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY (NIST)
Career Information: http://www.nist.gov/hrmd/index.cfm
Internship Information: http://www.nist.gov/surfgaithersburg/
NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORIES
Career Information: http://www.nrel.gov/science_technology/working_with.html
Internship Information: http://www.nrel.gov/education/internships_fellowships.html
Career Information: http://www.nsa.gov/careers/
Internship Information: http://www.nsa.gov/careers/opportunities_4_u/students/index.shtml
NAVEL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER (NSWC)
Career Information: http://www.navsea.navy.mil/nswc/dahlgren/RECRUIT/default.aspx
Internship Information: http://www.navsea.navy.mil/nswc/dahlgren/RECRUIT/studop.aspx
Career Information: http://www.nec-labs.com/careers/index.php
Internship Information: http://www.nec-labs.com/careers/internship.php
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORIES
Career Information: http://jobs.ornl.gov/
Internship Information: http://www.orau.org/ornl/
PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LABORATORIES
Career Information: http://jobs.pnnl.gov/
Internship Information: http://science-ed.pnnl.gov/
Career Information: http://www.parc.com/about/careers/
Career Information: http://www.research.philips.com/careers/index.html
Internship Information: http://www.philips.com/about/careers/student/internships/index.page
Career Information: http://jobs.prudential.com/view/page/jobs
Internship Information: http://jobs.prudential.com/view/page/jobs/16741
Career Information: http://jobs.raytheon.com/
Internship Information: http://jobs.raytheon.com/application-center
Career Information: http://www.saic.com/career/
Internship Information: http://www.saic.com/career/students/
Career Information: http://www.sandia.gov/careers/
Internship Information: http://www.sandia.gov/careers/students_postdocs/internships/
Career Information: http://www.careersatsap.com/YourCareerAtSap/ForStudents.aspx#/StudentOpportunities
Career Information: https://careers.slb.com/recentgraduates.aspx
Career Information: http://www.springer.com/about+springer/career/all+vacancies
Internship Information: http://www.springer.com/about+springer/career/interns
Career Information: http://careers.ti.com/
Internship Information: http://careers.ti.com/intern
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE)
Internship Information: http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER
Student Opportunities: http://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/pls/erdcpub/www_welcome.navigation_page?tmp_next_page=42&tmp_main_topic=
Career Information: http://www.wolfram.com/company/opportunities/
Internship Information: http://www.wolfram.com/company/opportunities/intern.html
2.5 Other Job Search Resources
A Job Search Guide from the UCI Career Center
A long list of off-campus opportunities for undergraduates of all majors from the UCI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) Office
A list of Internships and Co-op Opportunities from AMS
A collection of job-search and career information resources from SIAM (Society for Applied and Industrial Mathematics)
Career Journal from Wall Street (for internships, search job ads by the keyword "intern")
Career Magazine College Grad
The Riley Guide : Free resources with open access to the job listings.
Internship and Co-op Opportunities from Association for Computing Machinery
Crossroads Internship Database
Internships in Statistics (ASA)
Rising Star Internships or The Vault or other internship sources
CareerPath offers job listings from many sources in the U.S.
Salary.com for potential salaries and job search tools
JobWeb, maintained by the National Association of Colleges and Employers
Math for America (MfA Fellowship Program) and Teach for America
Finding an Academic Job by James Lambers, Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering Stanford University
3. The Career Center and their Services
3.1 Mission Statement
To educate and engage students to realize their career potential and apply it to their future. All of our services, events, and resources are centered on providing access to opportunities, career consulting, and professional education to UCI students and alumni. We serve as a bridge between the academic and professional world, connecting students and employers. As UCI's "Internship Central", we have extensive resources and information on internships on and off campus. Our team of Career Counselors are professionally trained to help students identify and create their career goals. We strive to educate UCI students using innovation and excellence. Our nationally recognized webshops and videos are a fun and interactive way to learn professional development and career tips. We continually aim to help the UCI community excel with integrity and professionalism.
3.2 Services
Take Ten: 10 minute drop-in career consultation and resume critiques.
Individual Internship Advising
On Campus Interviews (with real employers) for full-time and internships positions (every quarter).
One-to-one Mock Interviews with Peer Consultants, Career Counselors and Technical Employers.
Career Fairs (every quarter)
Career Connections Online database of UCI alumni willing to answer career questions
3.3 Resources
Job and Internships Listings (Zotlink): Over 22,000 full-time, part-time and summer/seasonal positions are posted every year.
Internship Central The one place to go to find internship resources, information, and tips.
Job Search Guide This is a great tool to guide students on their career journey. From sample resumes and resume covers, to self-assessments to evaluate strengths and interests.
Webshops: The series of career/job search workshops is complemented by a collection of short flash presentations (webshops) posted on the UCI Career Center website. Topics include:Resume Basics, Internship Answers, Job Search Strategies, Job Search Correspondence, Job Searching in the current economy, On-Campus Interview, Interviewing Basics, Great Interview Answers, Dress for Success, Networking.
Quick Tips: A wonderful tool designed to answer most students’ questions on a variety of career/job search related topics such as choosing a major, writing a resume/cover letter, interviewing and applying to graduate school.
Videos: Short videos provide students with advice from Peer Consultants, Career center staff and employers.
Interviewing tips through webshops, quick-tips and videos.
Best of the Job Search Sites: a collection of job search web sites and online resources
FAQ: About campus jobs, interviews, resumes, choosing a major, and other things.
3.4 Events
The Career Center sponsors several events throughout the year to bring networking, employment, and education opportunities to the UCI Campus.
Check out the Events Calendar for more information or sign in to Zotlink to RSVP for upcoming Events.
Workshops on topics such as “Resume writing”; “How to get an internship”; “Applying to Graduate School”; “Interview Techniques”; “Interviewing Practice” and “Job Search Strategies”.
Career Fair: a one-day event to bring to campus companies that are specifically looking to hire UCI students for Full-time positions, Internships (both paid and for credit), Part-time jobs and Seasonal jobs.
Career Fest: a month long series of panel presentations by UCI alumni and community members from various industries.
Internship Daze: a week-long event focused on educating and preparing students for internships.
Graduate School Fair: a one-day event annual that brings together up to 150 representatives from various graduate and professional schools.
