Careers that use Math
Here is where I will be posting different careers that I find information on that involve learning math.
Volunteering for Experience:
Are you looking for a new career? Interested in learning more a particular career but uncertain if you want to invest the time and money in gaining new skills or education? Or are you looking to explore new opportunities but want to avoid jumping ship at your current job?
Volunteering might be the answer to your career exploration. Being a volunteer is a great way to do something meaningful for others while at the same time building your own based of knowledge, skills, and professional contacts. Here are a few pathways to career success through volunteering. Determine your goal Do you want to become a nurse or a physician? Start volunteering in a local hospital. Want to become a librarian or marine biologist? Look into the many programs that offer volunteer experiences. Volunteering is one way to gain experience and it can also help you build contacts in the professional arena where people will share their knowledge and lend some guidance. Add your volunteer experience to your resume If you were the committee chairperson and helped to raise $3,000 or $30,000 for a charity auction, then by all list this as an accomplishment on your resume. Be sure to show how your achievement can benefit an employer on your resume. List the skills you gained in the experience such as marketing, sales, administrative or coordination. Get a higher education Check with either the volunteer agency or an institute of higher learning to learn if any scholarship programs are available. You may be surprised to learn that many professional associations will offer scholarships to people who have demonstrated their commitment to a career path through their volunteerism. Work with the people who have what you want Do you want to learn leadership skills? Gain management expertise? Then you’ll want to volunteer at the level where decisions are made. Apply to be on the Board of Trustees or join a committee where you’ll have a bird’s eye view by working in a support capacity. As you prove your abilities, you’ll likely find yourself being entrusted with more responsibilities and invited to hold a leadership position. This level of volunteering can be very helpful in creating a new professional network and may lead to job referrals. |
Education, Income, and Unemployment Guest Author - Susan Joyce
PBS investment advisor and author Jonathan Pond says one of your best investments is in your career, and what he is really recommending is education. Education level is one of the major factors determining lifetime earnings because it impacts the available career options, job levels and salary, and even employment vs. unemployment. Educational levels have been increasing throughout the 20th and into the 21st century. In 1940, only 25% of Amercans over 25 had a high school education or more, and only 5% had completed 4 or more years of college. By 2000, over 80% of Americans over 25 had completed high school (or more) and over 20% had completed 4 or more years of college. So, having a "higher education" (some college or better) has become less of a competitive advantage than it was in the past. A high school diploma is now a minimum requirement for many jobs, as reflected in the data below. Clearly, the more education, the better the salary, and the smaller the likelihood of unemployment. Education Impacts Employment and Income A study by the US Census Bureau in 1999 shows the correlation between level of eduction and employment (vs. unemployment) and annual income. Professional degrees (medical doctors and lawyers, for example, both of which are technically doctorate degrees) have the highest payoffs in terms of both employment and income. Full Time Employment Education Annual Income 83.6% w/full-time jobs Professional degree $109,600 80.9% w/full-time jobs Doctoral degree $89,400 76.1% w/full-time jobs Master's degree $62,300 76.7% w/full-time jobs Bachelor's degree $52,200 74.9% w/full-time jobs Associate's degree $38,200 73.9% w/full-time jobs Some college $36,800 73.1% w/full-time jobs High school graduate $30,400 65.3% w/full-time jobs Not high school graduate: $23,400 Education and Earnings Over a Lifetime Multiplying this data over an average working life of 40 years, shows very impressive differences in lifetime earnings. Professional degree - $4,384,000 in lifetime earnings Doctoral degree - $3,576,000 in lifetime earnings Master's degree - $2,492,000 in lifetime earnings Bachelor's degree - $2,088,000 in lifetime earnings Associate's degree - $1,528,000 in lifetime earnings Some college - $1,472,000 in lifetime earnings High school graduate - $1,216,000 in lifetime earnings Not high school graduate - $936,000 in lifetime earnings The average person with a Master's degree earns twice as much over a lifetime as the average person with a high school diploma ($2,492,000 vs. $1,216,000). Assuming that education costs $25,000/year and a Master's degree takes 2 years to earn, that additional $1,277,000 in income cost $150,000. No surprise - Jonathan is right - that's a VERY good investment! Bottom Line These are not hard and fast rules about what will absolutely happen. This is just data with my analysis. It should be correct, on average. You could be, or know, many people who are exceptions. Education is only one (very important!) predictor of employability and income earning ability. |