I’m 23 years old, and five months ago, I graduated from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in pure math. In high school, I excelled in math, so naturally, I chose it as a major in college. Makes sense, right? Wrong. At the end of my sophomore year, I had learned that college math was completely different than high school math. High school math is mainly about computations and memorizing formulas, but college math is very theory-based and is almost all proofs. However, any major change was going to cause me to take a fifth year, which I really didn’t want. So I decided that I would stick with my math major and double my efforts. But despite me doubling my efforts, my brain simply was unable to absorb the material and I did just good enough to graduate.
Ever since I graduated, I have been tirelessly searching for steady work. I’ve endlessly applied for jobs on a site called indeed.com and I haven’t gotten a single one of those jobs and I’m sure it’s because of my weak qualifications. Now before you say it, I understand that it was mistake for me to major in math. In the beginning of my freshman year, I should have talked to the math advisor about what college math would be like. And I realize that it would have probably been worth-it for me to take a fifth year if it meant getting a degree in something that fit my strengths. But that ship has sailed and there’s no use giving me advice that it’s too late to take.
I also understand that some people might tell me it would be a good idea to get a Master’s Degree. The problem with that is that the Math Master’s program requires students to maintain a GPA that I didn’t manage to maintain in undergrad. If I couldn’t get that gpa in undergrad, there’s no way I’ll be able to get in in grad school. I might go back to school later for a Master’s Degree, but right now I just want to work and become self-supporting. I still live with my parents and no 23-year-old wants that. Right now, I have a job that pays 12 dollars an hour, and I would have to earn at least 30 dollars an hour working full time, and I haven’t been able to land a job like that. I don’t expect to be earning big bucks right away, and I’m perfectly fine starting from the bottom of the ladder and working my way up. The problem is, getting to the bottom of the ladder has proven to be a challenge.
I’ve been going to professors and counselors to get help getting the kind of job I need to move out and support myself, but all they’re doing is telling me what I should have done instead of what I should do. I come onto college confidential because at this point, I can’t think of where else to go. If I can’t get help on college confidential, I would greatly appreciate if I could be directed to a program that can help me.
I think it would help if you figure out what your ultimate goal is. It sounds like right now you are focused on just getting a well paid job, which is understandable. But what do you ultimately want to do? Accounting? Teaching? Having a direction will help you in interviews, and may also help you get better advice from people.
I’m leaning towards or accounting. But I’m willing to take anything right now, as I don’t feel like I’m in a position to be particularly picky. I don’t necessarily need a well paid job right now, but just a job that will enable me to get a one-bedroom apartment.
@selfapple I agree with you that getting a master’s degree at this point doesn’t make any sense. I did notice that you are applying for jobs on indeed.com. Are you also trying to network, etc.? Searching for jobs online is efficient but it also is not a great way to land a job. Doing informational interviews, joining a professional organization, etc. takes a lot of effort and can feel scary, but it’s the things you do to make connections with others that will help you land a job you want. If your school has a career center, can you use it to contact alums to conduct informational interviews and do some job shadowing? You might get some great leads or at least get additional ideas for careers to consider. There are also career counselors who could help you, as well as lots of great books talking about effective ways to find a job.
As someone who is fairly shy, I really hated having to set up interviews with strangers, but it did pay off in the end both in terms of my ultimate profession and landing a job. I honestly think that as long as you aren’t trying to go to graduate school, your college GPA isn’t going to be something future employers obsess about–you have a degree and that’s what counts. Don’t let your GPA keep you from taking the steps needed to get a job you enjoy!
I forgot to say before, congratulation on finishing your math degree. This is much more of a positive than a negative. If your gpa comes up in an interview, you can explain that the program was too theoretical for you and that now you want to concentrate on accounting. If the type of accounting you want to do requires more training, consider getting an online degree while you continue to work. Focus on jobs that are a stepping stone to your ultimate goal.
You should join Linkedin if you haven’t already, and look for alumni of your college, connect with them and see if they can help you out. Most jobs posted online have been filled, they’re just there for legal reasons, a job has to be posted externally for a certain amount of days before it can be closed. Linkedin has recruiters that can find you (or you find them) and these recruiters will know about the job before it gets posted. Good luck!
Just a thought
Sign up on wyzant.com as a high school math tutor
Pay for the background check
Maybe u have an aptitude for teaching, but regardless, u can earn some money
Also take the basic accounting classes-- usually financial accounting followed by managerial accounting through a local community college and see if u like it. It is often offered both in person and online through cc’s.
Science and Engineering are going to be more conceptual, but becoming a CPA would be more about accounting and tax rules and may be a better fit for you
My DD tutored college-level accounting with wyzant tutors–sometimes in-person with a woman studying for her CPA exams, sometimes with a grad student by sharing their computer screens online. Both worked out great.
@Maystarmom Thank you, but I already did sign up for wyzant. I got accepted on that sight as a tutor, and I was on there for over two months. I would get notified anytime a student needed tutoring, and I would message the student or the student’s parents listing my availability, what kind of degree I had, and how much I charged. I decided set my rate at $20 per hour, as that’s lower than what most tutors charge, in the hopes that it would appeal more to the parents/students. After responding to about 70 different students over the span of 2 months and not getting any responses, I decided to end my membership, as I was having to pay to be on wyzant.
Community colleges and districts are often list the need for math tutors, substitute teachers, math adjunct faculty and other areas that require math skills. Check the schools and districts in your area.
It’s excellent that you have a math degree! Even if you never use the math you learned on an actual job, having your degree is a great achievement. Many people work in jobs unrelated to their major, and it is typical now for people to change careers several times in their lifetime, so I wouldn’t stress about what else you could have majored in – no major is a guarantee of work anymore, and most people eventually wind up in jobs unrelated to their major.
Along those lines, let me address your expectations. The real world of work for most people is no longer what you would “expect” and dream of, where you get a job and it’s full-time and secure and enough to pay all your bills so you can live independently. For example, I know lots of experienced attorneys who work contract jobs, lasting only a few weeks at a time and paying $22-28 an hour with no benefits, and they do this for years and years. Why? How is that possible? That’s what the job market is like – it is very hard to find high-paying work or a steady full-time job with benefits even for people who went to law school and have prior work experience. That’s the situation in many other fields as well.
The working world and many industries changed radically after the Great Recession. What you need to do is learn to create your own opportunities and market yourself. There are some courses online you can take for free relating to “personal branding” that might help you land some tutoring jobs and some other work. Just a tip – being the lowest-priced tutor is not necessarily the way to get work, since sometimes people judge quality by the price, and when they are looking for the best tutor, they might pick the highest priced or close to it.
I suggest you also consider what credentials and skills you can add to your degree – possibly some certifications that are in high demand in job ads, or skills you can use to do freelance work of some type. There are plenty of free online classes now that teach all types of quantitative skills that are in high demand, such as data analysis. Also think about what combination of part-time jobs and freelance work you could do to make ends meet, in the event that you do not find a full-time job at the pay you need in the near future. Plan on having roommates starting out and find other ways to live cheaply.
If making your way in the “gig economy” does not sound appealing to you at all, and you don’t want to go back and get teacher certification to become a math teacher, then it would be a good idea to consider some other career paths that you would not need to go back to school for, but that may require studying for and taking some exams for certifications. Fields that cross my mind include insurance agent, stock broker, real estate agent, salesperson, and project manager. You could also try to get hired in jobs that involve handling money and numbers, like retail store management or bank teller. Expect to work your way up. You could also try applying to local small businesses rather than large companies. They often hire for the long term, and consider employees like family.
I am very highly qualified in a field with high demand, but find that online job hunting isn’t very fruitful. I consult and change jobs a lot, and it is MUCH more likely that I’ll find something through someone I know than applying for jobs through job websites. I do agree with posters above that an aimless search just focused on making more money probably isn’t making you attractive to companies.
So much of hiring is not about what degree you have. Being able to present yourself as articulate, personable, responsible, hard working, and a quick learner is much more important. Having a genuine interest in the industry or job is necessary, too.
Regarding the suggestions above, it is difficult to get certified as a project manager without also having some work experience in the field. Most PMs have a fair amount of business experience before moving into those positions.
Do you have any interest in computers or IT? There are certainly intro level jobs in that area you might be able to land. Not every job in IT requires a CS or engineering degree.