Just graduated with a B.S. in math, having a hard time finding a job

[JasonJo]

I just graduated this May with a B.S. in applied and pure mathematics. I plan on coming back next semester to do 3 research projects and reapply for graduate school, but in the meantime I was hoping to find a summer job.

I am having an absolute nightmare finding a job. I would have thought my BS in a technical area would be attractive to employers, but I have weak accounting and weak programming skills.

Anyone have any advice on what I should do? I am spamming the hell out of any data entry position that is listed on craigslist, I have sent my resume out to temp agencies.

I guess doing well in a subject with mathematics dos not readily translate to a DECENT job. I mean I'm not expecting a $20 an hour job, I've been rejected from some $8 an hour jobs.

I am half considering learning some more advanced Excel and some basic accounting in the next 2 weeks to find a job.

 

[mathwonk]

Even tutoring at a college pays up to $20 an hour. And it sounds like you will be very well served in future if you spend your summer improving your computer skills.

 

[alligatorman]

Someone I know just graduated with a BS in Math. He did average in school and had no computer schools. He found a job through career fair in New York and will work for a financial company. So don't give up. Keep looking.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Why should someone hire you? Seriously - nobody in the business community says to himself when he gets up in the morning, "How can I help Jason Jo?". You have to convince him that hiring you will solve his problems - not yours.

Second problem - you don't want to sound entitled. "I guess doing well in a subject with mathematics dos not readily translate to a DECENT job" sounds entitled. Perception is everything. Nobody wakes up and says, "I think I'll hire a prima donna today."

Finally, your timing isn't very good. It's hard to get a summer job that requires any training at all, because 3 months later you're gone. That's going to wipe out many accounting and programming jobs. It's also pretty late in the game - it's Memorial Day weekend already. Many jobs were snatched up in May. This may require you to rethink your minimum standards.

 

[Vanadium 50]

He found a job through career fair in New York and will work for a financial company.

I don't think this is realistic. Career fairs are interested in...well, careers. Not an 11-week job. Financial companies can take longer than the entire summer to train people.

 

[Defennder]

Even tutoring at a college pays up to $20 an hour. And it sounds like you will be very well served in future if you spend your summer improving your computer skills.

I thought tutoring was limited to TAs, ie. grad students?

 

[Asphodel]

I thought tutoring was limited to TAs, ie. grad students?

Nope. Most tutors aren't university employees, either.

Of course, if a school is hiring people as part of an official student assistance program, they're free to set up their own hiring guidelines. But I've participated in this at one school where they largely took undergrads that had simply done well in the class themselves and impressed the instructor. After transferring schools, this was still the case. Some of my classes have even had undergraduates for TAs.

 

[mattmns]

I agree with Vanadium and will second Mathwonk's tutoring suggestion.

 

[HD555]

You're looking a little too late for a summer job. However, I know Lockheed Martin likes to hire many technical students. I was at a dinner with them with a math major present. You might find a job doing mathematics or operations. Check their website out.

Also, it will be pretty good if you learned programming, maybe C/C++/Java.

 

[JasonJo]

I'm thinking this summer might be best served reviewing for the GRE math exam, continuing to do my research projects and learn a lot of programming. Hopefully I can boost my graduate application enough to get into a good grad school and the rest is history.

I have been applying for jobs for the last month. I've probably sent out or called 200 different times starting in mid April, which is late but that's when these job listings were posted.

 

[alligatorman]

The Career Fairs at my school are also geared towards summer positions for undergraduates. It's not entirely realistic.

 

[Defennder]

Nope. Most tutors aren't university employees, either.

Of course, if a school is hiring people as part of an official student assistance program, they're free to set up their own hiring guidelines. But I've participated in this at one school where they largely took undergrads that had simply done well in the class themselves and impressed the instructor. After transferring schools, this was still the case. Some of my classes have even had undergraduates for TAs.

But those undergrads who worked as TAs were bonded to a scholarship for some graduate student programme, were they not? And doesn't it require either being a grad student or having some graduate level degrees such as masters or PhD before one can tutor at colleges?

 

[Asphodel]

But those undergrads who worked as TAs were bonded to a scholarship for some graduate student programme, were they not?

Not that I've ever seen.

And doesn't it require either being a grad student or having some graduate level degrees such as masters or PhD before one can tutor at colleges?

Well, a master's degree is usually sufficient to teach at most two year colleges (although a PhD is generally preferred). Why would you need that to tutor an undergrad class? If you're doing it through a school, you generally just need high marks in the course in question (or higher level related work) and the recommendation of an instructor. If you're doing it privately or through a service/agency, you just need to convince your clients and/or employer that you're competent (and resorting to the previous form of credentials probably helps a lot here).

 

[mathwonk]

I saw ads for tutors on the bulletin board last week at my school, at $12-$20/hour I think.

Depending on how many hours one can get, as opposed to how many one would spend teaching, that could be more than we pay our instructors!

 

[Asphodel]

Yeah. :/

I've heard that sometimes part-time faculty do a bit of that on the side...I assume it would depend on the institution type and so forth. Teaching can be a pretty rough career path.