William Satzer Reviews 101 Careers in Mathematics

William J. Satzer reviewed 101 Careers in Mathematics, 3rd Edition edited by Andy Sterrett as part of MAA Reviews. 

This is a wonderful book, potentially of great value to students and those who advise them. It has some frustrating gaps too, but in a way they also emphasize how useful it is and could be. In brief, this book presents a collection of profiles of people who have (or had) a career that involves some aspect of mathematics. Nearly all the people here have at least one degree in mathematics; the few exceptions have degrees in field like physics, operations research, or a statistics-related area. Short essays at the end of the book discuss the processes of interviewing and finding a job, and what it’s like to work in industry (or, more broadly, outside the academic community).

There are 25 new entries in this new edition that bring the total number of profiles to 146. The “101 Careers” of the title is best regarded as meaning “lots of careers”; even the first edition had more than 101 profiles. Counting careers is also a little funny: they don’t match up one-to-one with people. As many of the profiles demonstrate, many people have more than one career. Indeed it is increasingly uncommon for people to have a single career throughout their lives.

Read the full review here.

New in the MAA Store

101 Careers in Mathematics

3rd Edition
Andrew Sterret, Editor

This third edition of the immensely popular 101 Careers in Mathematics contains updates on the career paths of individuals profiled in the first and second editions, along with many new profiles. No career counselor should be without this valuable resource.

The authors of the essays in this volume describe a wide variety of careers for which a background in the mathematical sciences is useful. Each of the jobs presented shows real people in real jobs. Their individual histories demonstrate how the study of mathematics was useful in landing well-paying jobs in predictable places such as IBM, AT&T, and American Airlines, and in surprising places such as FedEx Corporation, L.L. Bean, and Perdue Farms, Inc. You will also learn about job opportunities in the Federal Government as well as exciting careers in the arts, sculpture, music, and television. There are really no limits to what you can do if you are well prepared in mathematics.

The degrees earned by the authors profiled here range from bachelor’s to master’s to PhD in approximately equal numbers. Most of the writers use the mathematical sciences on a daily basis in their work. Others rely on the general problem-solving skills acquired in mathematics as they deal with complex issues.

Order your copy today at the MAA Store.