There’s no doubt you’ve worked hard to gain your mathematics degree, so now it’s time to get out there a land your dream job! A mathematics degree can lead to a number of exciting career opportunities in sectors including business, finance, teaching, and engineering, to name a few.

A degree in mathematics can provide you with a variety of skills that can easily be applied to real life, helping you with your career and navigating the real world. It’s also important to be aware of what your skills and abilities are, as when it comes to applying for jobs you’ll likely be asked why you should be hired and what you can bring to the company. These skills will come into play.

Maths-specific skills include analyzing data and identifying patterns, numeracy skills, constructing logical and mathematical arguments as well as offering clear solutions. As for transferrable skills, these can include communication, determination, strong IT abilities and presentation skills. While you come away from a maths degree with more than the above, these are the basics that will help you shine in your interviews.

To give you some inspiration, here are some of the top careers available with a mathematics degree.

Maths Teacher
Becoming a teacher offers you the chance to teach the subject you love and pass on your skills and knowledge to children or adults. There are opportunities to teach mathematics at secondary school level and in higher education, i.e. by becoming a university mathematics lecturer. Becoming a teacher is considering a highly rewarding career as you will have the unique opportunity to support and inspire the next generation of learners. Some of the responsibilities of a mathematics teacher include – preparing and delivering lessons to students, marking work and giving feedback on student performance, preparing students for qualifications and external examinations, and supervising and supporting trainee teachers. If you are interested in becoming a teacher, then you would need to complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), followed by a training year. It is also worth noting that there are a number of amazing incentives to encourage mathematics graduates to get into teaching. According to the Department for Education you could receive £30,000 to teach mathematics – a £20,000 tax-free bursary while you train and a further £10,000 once in teaching.

Chartered Accountant
Chartered accountancy offers a well-respected career with great opportunities for career progression and financial rewards. A chartered account supports organisations, businesses, and individuals to achieve their financial goals. Their job role involves giving expert advice, auditing accounts, and providing reliable, trustworthy information about financial records. Chartered accountants are in high demand, meaning they benefit for enviable job security and career prospects. There is the opportunity to work in a wide range of different settings, this includes – public practice, business, and non-profit organisations. With experience, there are some fantastic career advancements opportunities such as becoming a financial director or partner of an organisation. To become a chartered accountant you must go down one of the routes to become certified. This usually requires completing a financial training course such as a CeMAP qualification, as this gives you the skills needed when advising your clients on their financial circumstances. You’ll then need to follow this with work-based training. You can also complete an ACA course, a highly respected qualification that will require you to complete three years of training while on the job. Please note that a degree in accountancy is not essential for this role.

Investment banker
The role of an investment banker is to raise the capital of a business or organisation using investment strategies. This is a prestigious career that can offer great financial rewards and opportunities for advancement, making it an attractive career path for graduates with a mathematics degree. To be successful in this role, you will need a keen financial mind and an understanding of how money is made through investments. To gain this knowledge, it is best to complete some industry work experience through internships and placement opportunities. It is also important to learn as much as you can about investments through independent learning. While a Masters degree is not always necessary, gaining an additional qualification in areas such as finance, investment management, and wealth management, will also help you stand out from the competition when applying for jobs. If you are interested in this career path, then check out this useful guide on how to become an investment banker.

Actuary
An actuary is a highly-trained professional who assesses the management and measurement of risk and uncertainty. They are responsible for providing data to answer a diverse range of questions such as – What is the likelihood of being killed in a car crash? What is the cost of treating cancer patients on a yearly basis? An actuary will analyse huge amounts of data, evaluate risks, and then communicate this information to non-specialists. Actuaries use their knowledge of business and economics to evaluate financial risks and provide strategic, commercial, and financial advice. A career as an actuary is a niche that is in high demand across many organisations, particularly in insurance industries. As such, actuaries can usually demand high salaries and other benefits like attractive bonuses. This area of work is open to all graduates who can demonstrate strong numerical skills. However, obtaining additional qualifications such as an MSc in actuarial science, will certainly help set you apart from your peers when applying for the best jobs.

Other Popular Career Choices
While we’ve discussed in detail the more popular career choices that can be obtained with a Maths degree, there are still so many jobs available that haven’t been mentioned. A few of those include:

• Engineering – While people usually enter the field of engineering through an engineering degree, a maths degree can also help you get into specialised roles. If you’d like more advice on this, engineering recruitment agencies can help. Math graduates can also help with solving physical problems that are often found within engineering projects, it is highly recommended though that you look into work experience if you’re wanting to get into this sector.
• Finance careers – Careers in finance and banking spans across a wide range of jobs that come with many choices within their sectors. For example, while we have covered accountancy above, it can actually be divided into roles like tax accountant or corporate advisors to name a few. In order to pursue any of these careers, you will need to continue your studies and gain further professional qualifications.
• Statistician – Statisticians are statistic specialists, so they collect data which they analyse, interpret and present. They are needed across a range of industries, such as healthcare, finance, sport or even government fields. You’ll be managing and arranging data that you have collected for study, surveys and experiments which you will use to create reports that will advise clients on possible strategies. You will also need IT skills for this career.
• Meteorology – As a maths grad, you could become that person who informs the public whether they need an to take an umbrella in the next week or so. A meteorologist studies weather conditions using data collected from stations and satellite images all over the world in order to interpret future forecasts.

There are even more careers that you can choose from. Click here to find out more.

Final thought
As you can see, there are many exciting career opportunities available with a mathematics degree – that degree alone opens up plenty of career choices for you! The important thing is to do thorough research and complete work placements, so you can see what different careers are available to you. There are also plenty of graduate schemes that you can apply for if you’d prefer a different route – the options are limitless!