OVERVIEW
For ages mathematicians have made many invisible and unsung contributions to advancements in science and technology. In recent years, they have become more numerous, and--belatedly--more visible in the U.S. workforce.
Outside of educational institutions, "mathematician" has not been considered a profession, but that is changing. More and more jobs require direct use of mathematics, and an increasing number of job titles are reflecting this. More than ever, mathematicians have an opportunity to make a lasting contribution to society by helping to solve problems in such diverse fields as medicine, management, economics, government, computer science, physics, psychology, engineering, and social science.
During the past decade, the fraction of mathematical scientists who are employed in science and engineering has increased dramatically to almost four-fifths. Ten years ago, only 45% of the mathematics bachelor's degree holders were employed in science and engineering. Now that is nearly 75%. For master's'degrees holders, the increase was from 60% to 90%.
Prospects for employment opportunities are very good. A bachelor's degree in mathematics is excellent preparation for such diverse fields as statistics, actuarial science, mathematics modeling and cryptography. Demand for scientists, engineers and technicians is projected to increase by 36% and the demand for mathematical scientists by 29%. The dominant criteria for new jobs are higher skills and adaptability -- in short, more education, especially mathematics education.
Academe continues to be the dominant employer of mathematics degree holders. Recent employment data shows that approximately one-fourth of all mathematics bachelor's degree holders, one-third of all masters degree holders and three-fourths of all doctorates begin work in educational institutions. The prospects of academic employment are very good. Shortages of qualified school teachers continue.
The future appears bright for the profession of mathematics, but there are significant challenges. Better public awareness, faculty and curricula revitalization, and broader participation -- especially by minorities and women -- are fundamental if the nation's expanding needs in mathematics are to be met.
THE ROAD MAP
Mathematics is a field with surprising variety of specialities which have different "feels" to them. You probably won't like all of them equally, any more - than most musicians feel the same about rock and classical music, or most English majors like all authors and periods equally. So if you come across a nath course that isn't your favorite, but there are others that you really like, it just means that you are getting to know math better and your taste is becoming more refined.
The boundaries between some of the, areas are very fuzzy (for example, there are algebraic geometers and analytic number theorists). You should not take the sizes on this map too seriously--they have more to do with fitting in names than anything else.
