I just realized that all math professors have at least a masters degree in mathematics. Why would they choose to teach and make near to nothing when they could instead pursue a career as a data scientist?
Actually they all have a PhD and often a postdoc. They choose to do it because they’re passionate and can’t think of doing anything else.
I’m not a professor; I teach high school math. And in NY State, you need that Master’s. I got mine in 1983.
I teach math because I love teaching. If I couldn’t teach math I would teach history.
My career gives me incredible satisfaction. Go back and check my old posts… I tend to rave about my job and my kids on a pretty regular basis.
You’re going to spend a good 4 decades working. You’ll be miserable if you don’t do something you love for those 40+ years.
At a good R1 school for a tenured position, salaries can be quite good, especially for an endowed chair position. There’s a lot of job security and a fairly flexible schedule. They can also make additional money as consultants and authors, using their experience/position to open doors.