Careers in Applied Mathematics Mathematics has burst the old boundaries that limited what an engineer could design, a scientist could know, or an executive could manage. Subtle interactions, masses of data, and complex systems are all within the scope of the tools and ideas of applied mathematics. In the past, engineers could only test changes by making them, an expensive cycle of build and bust. Genetic engineering, designer drugs, diesel engines, digital TV, financial markets, paper mills, electric power, insurance rates, inflation statistics, computer chips, compact disks, credit cards, car doors, circuit boards. When we pick up a quarter, our brain sends complicated signals to our nerves and muscles.
Competition is fierce.
Jobs are shifting. You can't learn everything in school and you won't have time on the job. Formal education is the time to lay a foundation, to learn something worth knowing, something not everyone can do. Mathematics isn't quick and easy. But once you have the skills, you are the one prepared for change.