Getting a career

So, my parents really want me to get a career in medicine, preferably nursing. However, I don't really want it. The money was the only reason I wanted it, and I've heard from tons of people that nurses with that attitude just don't last long.

I was thinking of something in mathematics. Now, nursing has a lot demand, and you can get hired really fast. Does anything in the math field have a similar advantage?

Maths teachers are rare creatures. You could also take a more practical career that uses maths. Considered structural engineering?

What part of math do you enjoy?

I just love math in general. I especially like Algebra, but I haven't started on Calculus yet. I'm gonna take pre-calculus and if I like it, I might go through with all this.

Oh, and I really don't want to teach. Not a fan of kids. Or second jobs/poverty.

edited 1st Jul '11 2:17:08 PM by washington213

I forgot teaching in the US sucks.

Nursing is a really demanding and difficult career, my mom was a nurse for a very long time. It did pay off though, now instead of working long hours on her feet with lots of overtime due to staffing issues, she's working as the senior case manager for a medical insurance company. Lots of money, her own office, her hard work paid off.

But she didn't do it for the money, the money won't be worth it after a while if that's the sole reason you do it.

I'm not sure about other states, but here I have a friend who was a Math Teacher and he's having a seriously hard time finding a job. He waits tables at the moment, engineering is a better bet if you want to be in a math intensive career that gets you a job.

x3

Ok, no teaching, that leaves computers, science (including medicine) and engineering as your general math-heavy orientations.

However, without experience with calculus, you may be trying to move too soon. You may get into more advanced forms of math and find yourself hating it.

^ Do computers, science, or engineering have as much demand as nursing? I need to be able to get a job when I'm done with college.

And yeah, I will certainly not make any final decisions until I've had Calculus.

Engineering and Science are doing fairly well, or at least not sucking as badly. Particularly the former.

Computer science is rather over-subscribed at the moment. Unless you're confident in getting top bands, I'd avoid it.

How many years will it be till you get out of school? I certainly wouldn't want to make predictions almost a decade out.

People who say that normally have already payed off their bills lol, there is nothing wrong about being in for the money. But it does take more than allure of money to want to clean another man's crap off floor. It's not an career if your just looking to get rich quick*

It you want a steady income and don't want to get your hands dirty I would try engineering.

edited 2nd Jul '11 1:26:35 AM by joeyjojo

If you want to know more about whether you like math, why not try doing stuff outside of school? Read articles online, go to math camps (if you can afford it), etc.

Highschool courses are designed to give you the bare minimum to get by, but they contain very little real mathematics.

Also, have you read Martin Gardner's books? They are a nontechnical introduction to lots of interesting puzzles and stuff. You don't need any advanced math background to enjoy them.

edited 2nd Jul '11 9:33:49 AM by storyyeller

Hmm, maybe you should think about other subjects you enjoy first. I suggest not committing to anything math-based before at least doing pre-cal. Plenty of people decide they don't like math after all when they get to that point.

But I would suggest civil engineering or mechanical engineering as stable-ish jobs which involve a lot of math. And if you really do love it after getting through Calculus, you could become a math professor instead of a high school teacher. I hear teaching college is way more rewarading (and pays better) than high school.

(Must get that 1st in Biochemistry and Pharmacology...)

^^ If their only exposure to math is through school, no wonder they don't like it.

edited 2nd Jul '11 9:49:49 AM by storyyeller

If you know what's good for you stay out of computers. The economy is 5 years or more away from being able to get hired "straight out of college" into a good paying job. Everybody in the present is looking for significant amounts of in-industry experience.

/has a computer degree and cannot find a job in the field.

Math intensive fields ramp up pretty heavily in difficulty as you go past algebra into more advanced forms. Problems take longer and in my opinion get a lot more tedious. Engineering is pretty hardcore. You might want to look into fields that require math but not to quite such an advanced level like business Finance or statistics. They still require math to a certain extent, but instead of going into more and more complicated layers of formulas the fields require an understanding of theory and application. On the flip side though, there are fewer and fewer right answers, so it might not be your cup of tea if you like math for how definite it is.

Well the question is whether you like theoretical or applied math better.

Don't go into a field you don't like because your parents want you to. That breeds resentment and bitterness.

Generally, if you flunk out of engineering, you get sent to the business schools to become an accountant.

For an example of a high level engineering problem: you need to be able to do one problem in about three hours on two pages of paper and enjoy it to succeed at engineering.

Urrgh. Sounds like why I didn't do physics.

^^^ This.

No matter what it is, if you're going inbto a field for love of money rather than love of the career, you're doomed to failure. Deboss would probably hate being an artist even if it paid better than engineering (it doesnt) Likewise, if I took an engineering job despite hating writing out complicated mathematics, I'd probably similarly hate my job.

edited 3rd Jul '11 9:05:14 AM by Midgetsnowman

That's not to say you should discount nursing cause your pa and ma say it would be a good idea but, try volunteering at your local hospital to see if it's what you want or not.

edited 4th Jul '11 5:21:58 AM by joeyjojo

Pretty much. never leap into a career choice without finding out if you enjoy it. I did that. and discovered within one semester I hated computer programming.

it took me years more to finally realize I wanted to work in the arts.

edited 3rd Jul '11 10:38:41 AM by Midgetsnowman

Statisticians (especially those who specialize in actuarial science) tend to be very sought after, and to make very good wages.

edited 3rd Jul '11 10:34:04 AM by Carciofus