What should I do, go into math or science? Careers which apply math & science?

[Hydrowing]

Firstly, I am a senior high school student who is interested in asking the adults, as they have gone through this stage in their life.

First of all, I'm uncertain in which career path I may want to take.
-I feel that I may be interested in med school, but I feel I will probably not get into med school.
-My strength is math, but I do not feel that math would be an interesting career path.
-I could go to university and enjoy doing math, but then the question is, what am I going to do as a math major, and that decision seems more difficult as I don't seem to find math as an appealing potential career?
-For the path of med school, most individuals major in science, but I feel that I am rather average in science, and my ability to memorize is below average.
-I am really divided as I feel if I go into science I will get rather average marks, and not get the marks required for med school.
-I really do have limited interests it appears, even if I go into science, I do not have many interests it appears for careers in science, but being a doctor seems like a interesting career.

Going into math, my strength, seems like a good choice strategically as I would most likely get better marks in math and be a stronger applicant applying to med school, but if I don't I'm sort of stuck with a math major? But the problem I seem to face is, if there were some interesting math careers that I would enjoy, it would be easier for me to just go into math, as even though if I don't get into med school, I could just go into a math job as a backup and still enjoy it. I've already researched some math careers but they don't appear that interesting. I might enjoy a mathematics and science type of job where there is an application of both subjects in a health oriented field. I am really divided should I go to math or science, is there a way to do math, but somehow end up in a science related career perhaps(doing major and minor?)? Any potential career suggestions? It looks like I might have to go into math as that is my strength, any interesting math jobs, or jobs which apply both math and science?

[Marian]

Three majors that come to my mind are engineering, economics, and computer science. All three require a knowledge of and willingness to work with math, but they are not exclusively about math.

It is possible to complete the requirements for medical school while majoring in any subject you like (even engineering, although it is a highly structured major, if you plan your course schedule carefully). So you need not rule out the possibility of medical school even if you chose one of these other math-oriented majors.

[DocT]

Physics uses a lot of math - more so than pretty much any other field.

[smdur1970]

Please look seriously at Statistics as a major. It will use your math skills/interest, and can lead to careers in any number of areas. You could still apply to med school, and should your interests turn to any sort of research, the major will serve you well. If you don't go the med school route, you could work in any sector (private, nonprofit, academic, government) and in a variety of fields that may interest you. Good luck!

[Erin's Dad]

I concur with SMDur. With math/stats you can do many different types of analyses that would apply in virtually any area - finance, manufacturing, sociology,...

[BunsenBurner]

If biology is of any interest to you, consider computational biology. Analysis of genes and their expression involves a lot of math.

[geek_mom]

Cryptology is another great discipline for math majors. If your interests lean in that direction, the NSA has some nice fellowships.

[MiamiDAP]

Computer Science does not require any math or science. However, if you are good in math, your analytical mind will serve you very well wrting computer programs.

[mdoc]

If you have any interest in a career in business, finance is a major for which an affinity for math is very helpful. I don't think any major you take is going to preclude medical school, although you should look into which courses will be prerequisites and be sure to take them.

[mathmom]

My son is a computer science major and has been required to take a number of math courses - however he's not required to take more calculus. I'd have to look up the courses, but I know one was mostly (all?) discrete math. I had a friend who was a math major and went into law school another got a master's in social work.

[scansmom]

Here is a link to a great site that provides a wealth of information relating to careers in all the areas you are interested in:

The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center is an ever-expanding resource for anyone interested in exploring career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing, and healthcare. Explore over 170 degree fields and find out about education requirements, salaries, networking, precollege ideas, and career planning resources. Browse interviews with hundreds of professionals who offer candid insight into their own diverse careers. Most resources are also in PDF, PowerPoint, or Podcast formats.

Sloan Career Cornerstone Center: Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & Healthcare

[geek_mom]

Computer Science does not require any math or science.

My CS degree required math and science: Physics, Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, and a few other credits I've long since forgotten. The only directly useful thing I got from Physics was a good basic understanding of statistics, but I used a lot of the math in my senior-level CS classes.

[MiamiDAP]

I am sorry for not clarifying, that I meant that job does not require any math of science. I have been a programmer for over 25 years, never used either. However, math classes train the brain to think logically and analytically, math was my eithiest and most favorite subject.

[lkf725]

smdur1970, could you give me a few concrete examples of careers using a statistics major? ~Thanks!

[BunsenBurner]

lkf, pharmaceutical companies running clinical trials employ statistics specialists.