Again, about job prospects

Most of the data from newspaper league tables shows the percentage of graduates who found graduate level work within six months. Unistats breaks it down further into what kind of work they are doing.

My experience is 20 years old, but back then there was a lot of annual fluctuation; very generous offers being made in the year above me, good in my year, and then in the subsequent year (when I was doing Part III), things were quite a bit worse again. As I understand it, things picked up again over the next couple of years.

So figures for this year may not be terribly relevant for when you graduate anyhow.

I know this question has been asked loads of times, but I just wanted to make it clear, maybe by looking at some data. I mean, nowadays I read lots of different opinions about job prospects by getting a maths degree: someone says even if you get a degree in a top uni, it may still be hard finding a job, and others who claim to have had already job offers while still studying!

So, can you clerify it? I would just love to see some data, for example something showing the percentage of people who graduated in maths and got a job in a short time!

Thanks in advance for your help, I hope to get some good info!

This is from imperial college-http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/careers/resources/destinations/undergraduates/mathematics

I think your likelihood of getting a job just depends on how well you prepare yourself whilst you are at uni and what job you apply for. There's no particular degree that automatically guarantees a job apart from vocational courses (eg medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, etc) or perhaps an oxbridge degree!


Most people generally pepare their CVs well ahead of graduation-eg by securing internships, getting prizes, making sure you get at least a 2:1, hobbies, etc.

No matter what degree you do, you still have to beat the competition out there and the only way to do that is to get your CV ready. Deciding early on what you want to do obviously helps.

Hope it helps.

I never get the point of these statistics, surely its about how well YOU do and what work experience YOU get and what type of jobs YOU are looking for in the end???

Thank you very much! It is a really interesting page! And yes, I agree with you, it's all about having a generally good CV well, it is great to see mathematicians are not badly regarded.




Well, I think that it does matter what degree you have done... I mean, a mathematician has definitely different attitudes and knowledge from, say, a lawyer. If lawyers are much-sought whilst mathematicians are not, it wouldn't benefit that much graduating in maths (in terms of job prospects, of course).
Of course, this is my point of view!

Well, I think that it does matter what degree you have done... I mean, a mathematician has definitely different attitudes and knowledge from, say, a lawyer. If lawyers are much-sought whilst mathematicians are not, it wouldn't benefit that much graduating in maths (in terms of job prospects, of course).
Of course, this is my point of view!

http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/ - go to this website it gives a very detailed information of the maths courses of most unis.

Well no it doesn't because you may want to do something specific with maths, therefore you will have to do a maths degree, but even if there are less prospects with one course than another, it really depends what YOU want to do afterwards on the choice of degree to take. Because if you want to be a cosmologist, you take a cosmology degree, their probably aren't many other things you can do with a cosmology degree but should that matter if you want to be a cosmologist?? No it shouldn't. That is what I am trying to say. If you know what you want to do after, why does it even matter what the statistics of previous people have done? As long as you know how to get where you want to be, it really doesn't matter.

Getting a job after your degree is a struggle for everybody. However, from personal experience and that of my friends, I can definitely say that a Maths degree is among one of the most well-regarded (as long as you land at least a 2:1). This doesn't mean you don't have to work hard to secure a role, but you have an advantage. You have to market yourself, and whatever skills you gained from your degree; not the other way around.

Good luck

Getting a job after your degree is a struggle for everybody. However, from personal experience and that of my friends, I can definitely say that a Maths degree is among one of the most well-regarded (as long as you land at least a 2:1). This doesn't mean you don't have to work hard to secure a role, but you have an advantage. You have to market yourself, and whatever skills you gained from your degree; not the other way around.

Good luck

I know this question has been asked loads of times, but I just wanted to make it clear, maybe by looking at some data. I mean, nowadays I read lots of different opinions about job prospects by getting a maths degree: someone says even if you get a degree in a top uni, it may still be hard finding a job, and others who claim to have had already job offers while still studying!

That just about sums it up yes, well said Aimee. One thing though I find the 2.2 graduates have to put that bit more work in, often looking for smaller or less obvious companies. A utility company asked me advice on how they should go about selecting suitable 2.2 maths graduates, as they were finding it hard to compete for 2.1 grads. Probably if the truth be told many graduates with a 3rd should probably in retrospect have chosen a different degree. On the other hand those, when I talk to them after few years have found an interesting and productive job and often using their mathematical training (often they can do maths but are were not so good at studying or exams!)

A lot depends on what type of job you are interested in. For example, in the UK, the financial services (and related industries) and IT sectors are massive recruiters of mathematically trained graduates. If you are interested in a career in this areas, there are lots of options available to good graduates. If your interests and personal motivation lie outside of these areas, it can be harder to find work because the numbers of openings are much smaller and, in very specialist areas, you might have to be quite exceptional with specific skills to get one of those jobs. The key thing is ... do your research and do it EARLY.

And I'll keep it in mind: start my research early, even before graduating!

It is already the norm to start researching into a graduate career long before graduation. You'll have to start sooner than that!

I'll do my best to start as soon as possible! :P Thank you!

If you are interested in working in investment banks you should apply for spring weeks when you first get to university, and early in your second year apply for internships. If you are doing an MMath you have more time, everything a year later!

In any case the best way to get a graduate job is to apply for internships early in your penultimate year. Even if you don't get one applying for one is really useful. Applications for graduate positions start early in your final year (September). For the some of the highly competitive jobs maths students go for, eg finance related and oil industry, the most sought after vacancies are filled early.

At Manchester just making sure the students apply early has made a big difference in the students getting the sort of job they want, starting when they graduate.

I don't quite get it, I should apply when I enter university? And what should I tell them? What should I write in my CV? I wouldn't be even considered... or am I wrong? Probably I'm missing something, I don't understand how things work if you can apply even before studying...! Can you point this out, please? I would really appreciate it!