Dreaming big is something that everyone should do because that’s how we manage to move forward and to better ourselves, so if you’re a number person these 15 best careers if you love math will be perfect for you.
What is it about numbers that attracts people? Well, it’s probably the fact that they’re reliable – adding two and two will always give the same results. At the same time, they’re versatile because you can mix and match, work on simple operations or complex equations, depending on how deep your knowledge goes. It’s soothing to know that you can always rely on math to be exact even when everything else changes.
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Math can be fun if you have a knack for it, but it can also be pure torture. It depends, of course on where your interests lie and what you want to do in life. When it comes to money, however, math is pretty much a sure way to find a job that pays well. It’s not all you need to know, of course, but it is quite an important part of many jobs, and you can’t do without it if you want to occupy said jobs.
What jobs, you ask? Well, there are plenty of them, going from the obvious – economist, mathematician – to some that aren’t that clear on what you’d need, such as pharmacist.
In order to create our list of best careers if you love math we checked out multiple sites presenting the best jobs for math lovers, including Business Insider, Sokanu, and College Choice, to name a few. We checked how often some jobs repeated through all these sites we visited, and then reordered everything by the rank said jobs had on the 2016 Jobs Report from CareerCast which measures stress, physical demand and the current and future employment outlook of hundreds of occupations, as well as the pay and other factors. And, since you love math you will surely enjoy reading our article on the greatest mathematicians of all time, as well.
Without further ado, here are the 15 best careers if you love math.
15. Bookkeeper
Mentions – 1
Rank – 81
Salary – $36,255
The name says it all, doesn’t it? What you’d need to do is to keep financial records for various organizations. If you work for one specific company, then it’s all pretty clear on what you need to do and for whom, more specifically. You’ll be recording financial transactions, update statements, check all the data for accuracy and so on. The beauty of this job, however, is that you can also work on your own and pick up multiple small clients. You’ll need to evaluate all your options, of course, and see which one is more profitable.
14. Computer Scientist
Mentions – 1
Rank – 55
Salary – $78,291
For quite a while now, getting a degree in Computer Science has been quite lucrative. Basically, as a professional in this business, you’ll have to combine the theoretical concepts you’ll learn from your manuals with the practical applications. You’ll have to design and build computer systems, evaluate risks, know when something might not work how you’re hoping it will and fix it before trouble comes and so on. Therefore, if you’re into math and computers, this might be just the dream job for you. Plus, there are so many universities offering bachelor’s in computer science, software engineering, math and so on that you really should have no issues finding the best place to learn.
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13. Pharmacist
Mentions – 1
Rank – 29
Salary – $122,170
Working as a pharmacist gives you so many opportunities, especially when it comes to jumping from one company to another, hunting for a pay rise. That’s because there are a lot of places that are hiring and new pharmacies opening every other day. You’ll have to get a complex education for this, however, as you need not only math, but also science, chemistry, biology and more. Then, you have to get a license to practice, which isn’t an easy process. In the end, however, it might just be worth it not only for the money you’ll earn each year, but also for helping people take the medication they need.
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12. Web Developer
Mentions – 1
Rank – 26
Salary – $63,332
If you’re already attracted to programming languages, then this one on our list of best careers if you love math might just be the job for you. Now only will you be writing code for operating systems and software to make sure everything is working just fine, you’ll also have to keep in mind future development opportunities, problems that might occur and so on. To top it off, you’ll also need to be there to offer your assistance to fix everything up. The pay is good, and it can rise quite quickly depending on the company you choose to work for, and this is an extremely sought after position as more and more IT companies pop up everywhere around the world. You may even try your hand at freelancing as a web developer since that’s also a lucrative opportunity.
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11. Architectural Drafter and Architect
Mentions – 2
Rank – 74
Salary – $52,245
As a straight out architect, you’d earn more, as CareerCast puts the income at over $75,000, but the overall score of this type of job puts it at nearly double the rank than you’d get as an architectural drafter. To make it simpler – the architect plans and designs structures, such as home, office buildings and so on, while the architectural drafter uses software to turn those designs into technical drawings. This means such a job would be better suited for those who also have a talent for such drawings since you’d be doing that quite a lot. The work environment is also qualified as better, and the stress levels are lower, too.
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10. Civil Engineer
Mentions – 2
Rank – 38
Salary – $82,242
As a civil engineer, you’d be putting your knowledge to work to build impressive structures. You’d be involved in the designing, building and supervising of construction projects and systems for the public sector, but also for the private one. That includes roads, buildings of all sorts, tunnels, airports, bridges, dams and so on. It’s a job that takes a lot of know-how, plenty of focus and lots of technical knowledge.
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9. Financial Analyst
Mentions – 2
Rank – 27
Salary – $81,519
Those who work as financial analysts who rank 9th in our list of best careers if you love math, offer guidance to those who aren’t that savvy when it comes to the markets. That includes businesses and individuals who need to make investment decisions. You need to calculate the risks, know the market and offer the best advice you can.
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8. Meteorologist
Mentions – 2
Rank – 16
Salary – $88,258
We know, you’re thinking about the “weather girl/guy” you see on TV, but that’s not it. The meteorologist ranks 8th in our list of best careers if you love math and it is the one that gives the final data over to the institutes they work for, who then forward the information to the TV stations. Sure, some actual meteorologists work for TV stations directly, and that’s a good option too, if you want. What you’d need to do is put everything you’ve learned at school after getting your bachelor’s degree in meteorology or a closely related subject to use to collect and analyze data to study to predict climate issues and weather outcomes.
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7. Aerospace Engineer
Mentions – 3
Rank – 60
Salary – $105,235
Working as an astronomer or an astronaut is quite exciting, and they are both well-paid jobs that require extensive math knowledge, but perhaps one of the coolest jobs in the area is being an aerospace engineer. This involves designing aircraft, satellites and missiles and, for those that are passionate about space, spacecraft. They test prototypes, redo the design when there are flaws and so on, seeking to make sure everything is perfect.
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6. Accountant
Mentions – 3
Rank – 33
Salary – $66,283
Everyone needs an accountant every once in a while. Preparing and examining financial records is something that needs to be done not only for companies, but also for individuals. Accountants who rank 6th in our list of best careers if you love math make sure that financial records are clean and that taxes are paid on time.
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5. Software Engineer
Mentions – 3
Rank – 7
Salary – $93,233
Nowadays there seems to be an endless hiring outlook for software engineers that rank 5th in our list of best careers if you love math. Everyone is looking for one and even if you don’t work directly for a company, life as a freelancer can be quite lucrative too if not that much more. What you’ll do is develop apps for computers and other gadgets, making sure they work perfectly on the designated operating system. There are many things you’ll need to make sure of, but in the end, it’s all worth it.
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4. Mathematician
Mentions – 3
Rank – 6
Salary – $104,258
This one on our list of that ranks third on our list of best careers if you love math is pretty intuitive a job for someone who loves math – mathematician. You’ll work exclusively with math principles, conducting research, developing new principles and understanding what’s behind them. You’ll probably need a PhD in mathematics, applied mathematics or a closely related field.
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3. Statistician
Mentions – 3
Rank – 2
Salary – $80,295
Ranking second on CareerCast, the job of a statistician that ranks third in our list of best careers if you love math involves using specific methods to collect and analyze data, solving problems for various businesses, conducting research for particular purposes and so on. This job is particularly useful when it comes to interpreting the collected data since it is often difficult to translate.
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2. Economist
Mentions – 4
Rank – 24
Salary – $96,342
Being an economist is difficult since you have to take so many things into account into your work, but it’s a nice job nonetheless. Economists study the production and distribution of various goods, resources, and services. They do a lot of data collection and analyzing, or just interpret the information they are given. This is a particularly useful job, and the hiring outlook is quite great, not to mention the income.
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1. Actuary
Mentions – 4
Rank – 10
Salary – $97,362
And we’re finally at the top of our list of 15 best careers if you love math. Actuaries are those people who analyze and forecast financial costs of risk and uncertainty. It’s a complicated job, but it involves applying math concepts, as well as theories to predict the likelihood of certain future events. This is meant to decrease the impact of future events that may fall in the “negative” pile.
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