What Could I Do with My Qualification? Jobs You May Not Have Explored: Maths
Love a subject in school, but you’re unsure what a career in the field would look like? You think that you’d thrive in the sector, but don’t know what job role you could do? Well, we’ve got you covered. This blog is a part of our series that focuses on different subjects, and what job roles you could pursue with a qualification in the topic. If maths isn’t for you, check out our other blogs on a range of different subjects, including art and design, history and music.
What could I do with a maths qualification?
People with strong mathematical skills are assets to many organisations. Understanding how numbers work, how to manage them and how to use them to analyse a situation or even predict the future, when done right, can help any individual or business thrive. Think you might be the person that could do that? We’ve picked three careers that will allow you to use your maths skills every day.
Actuary
As an actuary, your job is to analyse numbers, normally in the form of data. You’ll then determine future risks to organisations or individuals. As part of this role, you’d also consider how future events could impact on people financially. Once you establish what these could be, it’s your role to try to prepare for this, and you’d do this by creating a plan. Your work is there to support people and organisations, so they can be assured they’re making informed decisions to protect themselves or their businesses.
There are multiple routes to becoming an actuary. Starting with the University route, you could do a degree in a maths-related subject first. Perhaps in maths itself, or accounting, economics or something similar. Which would put you in a great position to apply for graduate schemes. If an academic pathway is for you, have a look at your options and what actuary graduate programmes are asking for. It will give you an idea of what they’re looking for.
If you’d prefer to immerse yourself in the world of work as you learn, there are also apprenticeship routes to the role. The apprenticeships begin at level 4 and could be titled Actuary Technician or something similar. There are also options to do degree apprenticeships to become an Actuary. Not sure how apprenticeships work? Check out our blog on technical courses to get the information you need.
Lastly, there’s the work experience route. You might be studying or working in a relevant field and aspire to change pathways. If you have experience that an employer thinks are transferable, you could cross over into the field. Although if you did want more concrete experience in the field, you might want to research opportunities that will let you volunteer or give you access to people working in the field who can advise you further.
Statistician
Another data role! Data is appreciated in most organisations. By looking at the facts and figures, it allows individuals or organisations to improve their work. This is why data-related roles are so sought after. As a statistician, this job is less about predicting and more about dealing with the present, though there is still a bit of prediction too. This job does come under different titles, so it might be called a statistics analyst or a statistics officer. The process of collecting data can be lengthy, and a statistician is present for a lot of that journey. You’ll arrange ways to collect data, through experiments and or using certain resources. It’s then your job to interpret the data and communicate the findings to your team or clients. Statistics use their mathematical skills to understand the data and use their findings to help others.
To pursue this route, it’s expected that you have some training or have completed a learning programme to work as a statistician. Suppose you aspire to go to university, by choosing a course in maths, statistics or economics. You could then be considered for a graduate scheme or entry-level roles. However, other courses can provide you with the same knowledge.
The apprenticeship route is an option to become a statistician, and this can be done at a degree level too. The apprenticeship can sometimes be more personalised to the industry you want to go into as a statistician, so do your research. Especially if you’d prefer a course that allows you more flexibility. Although if you’d prefer to learn on the job, by choosing a T Level in Digital Data Analytics, the industry placement may give you the experience you need to apply for entry-level roles as soon as you leave education. To learn more about industry placements and their benefits, check out our blog on game-changing industry placements
Other ways to gain experience are through volunteering or in related job roles. Although even with this experience, some employers may still request a relevant qualification. Make sure you do your homework!
Software developer
This one is for the math and digital lovers out there. As a software developer, you’ll be responsible for creating and testing digital services. The software you’ll build and/or manage could be things like apps, operating systems for workplaces or even a video game. Software developers are some of the people who made it possible for you to be reading this blog right now! Where does maths come into it? Well, to understand the programmes that they use to design and maintain software, a lot of the language is mathematical. This is called code.
So, now you can see why having strong maths skills is so important to being a software developer. Routes to becoming a software developer vary. You could pursue the university route, studying maths, although there are more specific courses such as software development or computer science. From there, you could do a graduate training scheme, or straight into employment.
There’s also the apprenticeship route. These start from level 3 and are usually titled something along the lines of ‘software development technician’ or ‘digital and technology’. They begin from level 3, and you can go on to do degree apprenticeships.
Want to start developing your digital skills? Our blog on upskilling digital skills can help you develop your skills and enhance your CV.
What more is out there?
As we mentioned earlier, maths skills are an asset to many organisations. There are plenty of jobs roles that exist that have maths incorporated into them. And there are lots of employers who you wouldn’t normally associate with maths, but need people with maths skills to help them run their businesses efficiently.
Your skills can be an asset!
