If you’re a math enthusiast and have a way with numbers. Why not consider these jobs in finance with a maths degree? Here’s a list of high-paying jobs you can get only with a maths degree:
- Accountant
- Investment Banking Analyst
- Management Consultant
- Operations Research Analyst
- Project Manager
- Trader
- Quantitative Research Analyst
- Risk Manager
- Financial Analyst
- Data Scientist
Whether you were God-gifted with strong math skills or your interest led you towards getting a maths degree, it’s safe to know there are plenty of career options you can potentially choose and what other skills, besides math, they require.
Now there’s no shortage of high-paying careers in the field of Math. As much as you love chasing numbers, these numbers are going to chase you back.
Here is my list of the top 10 highest-paying finance jobs that you can pursue and excel at with ONLY a Math degree.
#1 Accountant
Level of ease: Fairly difficult
Accountants are usually responsible for making financial audits and reconciling bank statements and other financial records of the company throughout the year.
Accountants assist in forming financial decisions by tracking and collecting the organization’s finances and communicating its current financial position.
As an accountant, a math degree can help you record correct transactions, compute taxes, perform audits and assist with the financial budgets of the organization you work under.
How Do Accountants Use Math Degrees?
An accountant must have good analytical and strong math skills. Therefore, a math degree is important because it helps an accountant analyze figures and detect fraud in the company’s finances.
A math degree can be a strong suit for an accounting career because most of their duties require basic calculations where they combine and compare options for quantitative analyses for the business strategy.
How Well Does It Pay?
The average income for accountants is $58,501 per year. Entry-level accountants earn up to $46,765 per year while experienced accountants can earn up to $81,780 per year. After deducting all the taxes from the average income the total net pay will be $45,281.
#2 Investment Banking Analyst
Level of ease: Moderately difficult
An investment banking analyst researches and evaluates the possible investment opportunities according to their organization’s or client’s goals. They also help them develop and maintain those investments.
An investment banking analyst needs to review and analyze data to create investment portfolios that include the performance of stocks, bonds, credit trends, etc.
Some common skills and qualifications for an investment banking analyst include an undergraduate degree in subjects accounting, finance, math, statistics, and economics.
A Master’s degree in finance along with strong knowledge about bond valuations, tax laws, and risk management is an added plus.
How Does the Math Degree Help?
A math degree can help you land a career in investment banking because the type of math used in investment banking isn’t complicated.
It’s just basic arithmetic math such as addition or subtraction and sometimes multiplication or division.
All these functions are done on an excel sheet where sometimes functions like IRR, mean, and median are also used.
How Well Does It Pay?
The average pay of an investment banking analyst is $90,000 per year. Entry-level income starts at $60,000 per year while an experienced worker’s income is $136,500 per year. With average income, the net pay after deducting taxes would be $65,466.
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#3 Management Consultant
Level of ease: Very difficult
A management consultant is responsible for helping a company plan and executes projects to create value and profit, as well as improve the company’s competitive performance.
These consultants analyze data and situational interpretations to come up with strategies to change the organization’s structure which can result in increased profits and improved output.
The criteria for this job include a bachelor’s and master’s degree in any related field such as business administration, finance, management, or economics. Along with that, they should have around 2+ years of experience.
A management consultant should have well-developed research skills such as data mining, creating financial models, and performing market research.
How Does the Math Degree Help?
A math degree is quite helpful for a management consultant because as a consultant you will need to be efficient in basic math and statistics to grasp and interpret various financial models to form strategies.
How Well Does It Pay?
The average income for a management consultant is around $100,000 per year while entry-level positions earn up to $72,040 per year and experienced consultants earn about $146,250 per year. The average net pay after taxes is around $71,876.
#4 Operations Research Analyst
Level of ease: Moderately easy
Operations research analysts use their mathematics expertise and logic to solve complex problems to help organizations make crucial decisions.
Their strong math skills allow them to use predictive modeling, statistical analysis, simulations, etc, to evaluate data and develop practical solutions.
Companies hire operations research analysts to help the managers evaluate the effectiveness of their decisions on allocating resources, setting prices, and scheduling productions.
How Does The Math Degree Help?
An operation research analyst needs a degree in math, engineering, or computer science to have a strong grasp of statistics, calculus, and linear algebra.
How Well Does It Pay?
The average pay of an operational research analyst is about $114,250 per year. While experienced operation research analysts make up to $193,800 per year. The average net pay after taxes is up to $80,647.
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#5 Project Manager
Level of Ease: Difficult
Project managers develop detailed project plans and ensure they are completed within budget and scope. They are responsible for overseeing project resources, budgets, and monitoring progress along the way.
The project manager’s qualifications include a background in management, statistics or budgeting, computer science, or engineering.
Along with that, technical experience in software development and web technologies is important.
They are also required to have problem-solving, efficient planning, and analyzing skills. Plus PMP or PRINCE II certifications can give your resume a boost for this job.
How Does the Math Degree Help?
Having a math degree can assist you pretty well because a project manager has to use tools like PERT (Project Evaluation Review Technique), or Critical Path and Value Analysis for which strong math is required.
Plus having a maths degree will help you create a project cost calculation, monthly budget checks, and cost reporting as a project manager.
You will be tracking, aggregating, and presenting numbers as well as understanding what is behind those numbers and how to interpret them.
How Well Does It Pay?
An average income of a project manager is $90,018 per year while an experienced project manager can earn up to $130,706 per year. The average net pay after deducting the yearly taxes is $65,478.
#6 Trader
Level of Ease: Moderately easy
A trader is someone who seeks to make a profit through purchasing and selling goods such as stocks or currencies. One can either work with a company and get a fixed salary and occasional bonus or utilize their own money and benefit alone.
The role of a trader requires them to assemble trading plans based on clients’ or personal preferences, examine the activity of trade, and run a financial analysis to filter out the best trade opportunities available.
How Does the Math Degree Help?
With a degree in mathematics comes the perfect strong math skills and analytical mind that are required to become a successful trader.
There is a lot of math involved in a trader’s job such as the ability to interpret charts, stats, and patterns for technical analysis.
Other degree options to pursue trade are economics, finance, accounting, and similar fields. It may also be mandatory to give series 7 and series 63 exams to get a trader license based on where you are.
How Do They Do It?
To start, you will need to choose what cash instrument you are interested in dealing with e.g. bonds, shares, currencies, etc. Scout for the best possible purchase rates available for your trade, i.e. the cheapest option so you can sell it for a higher price and make a profit.
How Well Does It Pay?
The average income of a trader is $100,000 to $150,000 per year depending on the experience. The average net pay after taxes is $71,876.
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#7 Quantitative Research Analyst
Level of Ease: Fairly difficult
Quantitative research analysts are professionals who research and analyze trends and statistics to reduce risks and determine the next best move for the organization by enforcing complex quantitative models.
Companies such as investment service firms or manufacturing companies keep evolving as they adapt to innovations.
Having a research analyst can prove to be an essential tool as they will be able to create reliable insights and detect patterns.
This helps reduce the chances of taking a dangerous decision for your company and most importantly help your company keep track.
A quantitative research analyst performs a daily examination of data collected by method assigned according to the research purpose. Different models are tested until desired results are achieved.
In the end, documents are generated of the hypothesis and are presented to clients and senior management.
How Does the Math Degree Help?
Quantitative research analysis jobs are one of the best jobs to go for with a math degree. It utilizes almost everything you’ve learned such as calculus, probability, and statistics. The logical thinking and analytical skills also come in handy.
How Well Does It Pay?
The average income of a quantitative research analyst is about $87,500 per year to $139,000 per year depending on the experience. The average net income after taxes is $63,857.
#8 Risk Manager
Level of Ease: Difficult
Risk managers are individuals working for an organization who has the responsibility of calculating financial, safety, and security risks and devising a plan to reduce them.
As a risk manager, one needs some good analytical and problem-solving skills. These skills one learns in their math degree. Skills such as right intuitions and financial knowledge come from the experience of work.
Along with that, the educational qualifications for a risk manager include a bachelor’s and a master’s in business administration, economics, or account and finance.
How Does the Math Degree Help?
A math degree is useful in this role as there are a lot of quantitative calculations and planning involved. Managing financial assets such as insurance, or pension, requires a person to be good with numbers as it relies on calculus, statistics, and interest theory.
How Well Does It Pay?
A risk manager earns up to $112,160 to $155,008 per year. The average income after deducting yearly taxes is $79,377.
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#9 Financial Analyst
Level of Ease: Difficult
The job of a financial analyst is to collect and analyze a client’s financial details, give smart financial forecasting and create a financial model to assist your client in important decision-making.
A financial analyst has to keep track of a client’s financial activity and understand complex mathematical models to be able to give logical advice for further improvement and recognize opportunities to reach their goals fast.
The role of a financial analyst is important for a company as it ensures financial security and efficiency.
The research and statistics aid in crucial decision-making and boost profit by implementing the best financial strategies designed especially for each company.
Skills that are expected in a financial analyst are analytical problem solving, concentration, logical thinking, observance, and the ability to work under pressure.
How Does the Math Degree Help?
Having mathematical skills is one of the most important requirements for a financial analyst. A financial analyst needs a math degree to efficiently track and interpret the annual performance of stocks and investments for the company.
How Well Does It Pay?
The average income of a financial analyst is about $70,000 per year to $97,488 per year. The average net income after taxes is $52,639.
#10 Data Scientist
Level of ease: Moderately easy
A data scientist is an expert needed to evaluate and test a huge amount of data to generate hypotheses utilizing both technology and science.
Having a company’s very own data scientist is fruitful in many ways but especially in obtaining customers by observing the target market’s needs.
This enables companies to customize products that meet the requirements of their possible customers.
The more data research your company has, the better you’re able to judge the needs of your customers. A data scientist must have the critical thinking, business intuition, inquisitiveness, machine learning, and statistical analysis skills to excel in one’s career.
How Does the Math Degree Help?
Data scientists are mostly researching, gathering, and sharing data. That data is interpreted to help create profitable plans for the organization they work for.
A math degree is ideal for a data sciences job because gathering data revolves around either linear algebra, statistics, or calculus.
How Well Does It Pay?
The average income of a data scientist is $126,205 per year to $169,946 per year. After taxes, the average income comes down to $87,898.
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Final Thoughts
Landing a finance job is pretty easy for a maths graduate. Now you know all the qualifications and skills you might need for pursuing these careers.
We all know the world has tremendous opportunities for your career in math. I hope my guide helped you!
