|
Mathematics at National University of Ireland, Galway
Careers for graduates in mathematics and statistics
In recent years graduates in Mathematical disciplines have fared better
than most graduates entering a difficult employment market. The quality
of numeracy is increasingly important in a wide range of careers. Indeed,
specific skills in Mathematical Science (Mathematics, Applied Mathematics,
Statistics, Computer Science etc.) are in demand in industry and commerce
particularly in Finance, Computing and Engineering.
Traditionally in Ireland, mathematics graduates have gone into research
and teaching, the civil service (such as the Central Statistics Office
or the Meteorological Office), the computer industry and financial institutions
(such as actuarial work in insurance companies). If we look at the world-wide
context, mathematics graduates are working in research departments of the
nuclear, aeronautical, telecommunications and computer industries and in
government research organizations dealing with matters such as environmental
control and defence. Mathematicians also work on economic and social research,
management services and computing, programming and systems analysis, and
in banking and finance. It is interesting to note that in Britain, which
proportionately produces over 10 times our number of mathematics graduates,
over 25% of mathematics graduates go into the financial category, particularly
accountancy, actuarial work and banking, and about 40% go into the computer
industry.
As Ireland's technological base grows it is bound to enhance considerably
the employment prospects of numerate graduates in Ireland. The advantages
of a mathematics background are being recognized more now with the advent
of the present era of software engineering in computer science. This is
in contrast to what held previously, when the emphasis was on hardware
and its development. A technique that is becoming increasingly important
is the use of Formal Methods. These provide a rigorous mathematical basis
to software development. Formal methods produce systems of the highest
integrity and are recommended for security and safety critical systems
(needed in the aviation, military, medical, and other fields).
Cryptography and Coding Theory are examples of mathematical techniques
which are increasingly used for the secret and secure transmission of data
over local and international networks - for example error-correcting codes
are used in CDs.
The storing, compression and recovery of large amounts of data and images
is achieved using the Mathematics of Fourier Transforms (and related areas)
- some applications (unfortunate side effects?) include Karaoke.
Statistics is concerned with making sense out of data, and statisticians
find employment in business, industry, government, science, medicine etc.
in problems ranging from studying consumer preferences to assessing the
effectiveness of a new drug or therapy. Successful statisticians are strong
mathematicians, are good at problem solving and use of computers, have
good communications skills and are capable of working in many different
areas.
A mathematics training is not designed specifically towards a particular
job but rather trains a student to think logically and quantitatively and
to be versatile with changing trends and job prospects. Numerate skills
are always in demand, and flexibility of mind to tackle practical problems
will have much to contribute to society.
Back : Computing Facilites. Forward : Postgraduate Degrees.
|
