Do you love numbers? Are you always curious to experiment on various formulas and theorems? Do you like playing with zeros? If yes, then you ought to become a mathematician! Here are some things that you must know and learn!
A mathematician is a person who is in love with the subject! It takes a great deal of efforts to like and learn a subject like mathematics. A person has to be completely dedicated towards learning new things if he wishes to become a mathematician. Constantly updating your knowledge about various new formulas and theorems is a must. On the other hand, a person has to have a lot of patience in order to solve innumerable problems every now and then.
Becoming a Mathematician
Begin Your Journey
To begin with, the first thing that you must remember is ‘patience is the key to success’! As you know, Rome wasn’t built in a day, you also need to accept the fact that it will take time to expertise in a subject like mathematics. You ought to have patience! After you complete your primary education, you need to have mathematics as your line in the secondary school. Without that, you won’t be eligible to apply for any higher level studies. Start from your mathematics textbooks. Read every page with utmost care and interest. Try solving as many problems as you can starting from the simple ones.
Whether it is algebra, geometry or statistics, learn the basics so well that you could solve the advance level problems with an ease. If you find certain difficulties in the basic problems itself, then make sure you take help from your maths teacher and get them solved. You must remember, “A strong base builds a strong building”. Concentrate on the solved examples given in your books. Never overlook them. They are the ones which tell you about the right technique to solve a particular problem. Once you are comfortable with your school level textbooks, try out some other books that will take you to a number of tricky and difficult sums.
What Next?
Once you are done with your secondary and higher secondary school, then you must choose to have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. You can probably go for a Bachelor’s of Science with mathematics as your specialization. If not, you can also opt for a Bachelor’s of Arts, again with mathematics as your specialization. Before that you need to be prepared to learn mathematics for four long years or even more if needed. Go for a college which shall offer you a good scope in the field of mathematics as good and experienced tutors are a must. Also, do not restrict yourself only to the bachelor’s degree. Go for as many advance level mathematics examinations as you can.
You can try to give the exams conducted by USAMO (United States of America Mathematics Olympiad). Before that, you will have to appear for AMC 12 (American Mathematics Contest 12) to be eligible for USAMO. You must at least have a ‘B’ grade in the exams you go for. Try your level best to score an ‘A’. You must not forget that good grades later fetch good money! Once you are done with your bachelor’s degree, I am sure you will feel like enjoying a yearlong break! But, instead of just wasting a year doing nothing, you can work in small firms and not lose your touch with the subject.
You can go for a Master’s of Science or a Master’s of Arts with mathematics as your field of specialization. Once you are done with that, you will be very well trained and groomed in the world of mathematics. If you still crave for more, opt for a Doctorate in mathematics. For that, you need to have good scores in the previous exams and then follow the required admission procedure.
Employment Opportunities
You need mathematics in everyday life. Hence, there are ‘n’ number of careers that use math. The salary may range from USD 40,000 to USD 70,000 per year. Following are some of those fields you can opt for:
- Finance
- Taxing
- Insurance
- Statistics
- Banking
- Teaching and training
- Information Technology
- Charted Accountancy
- Engineering
Thus, the initial phase of a mathematician’s life is tough. Also, it will take a long time to reach there. But, once done, being rich and job-satisfied will no longer be a dream! Hannibal had once said, “We will either find a way or make one!”. If you have in yourself the three D’s of success – determination, dedication and devotion, you can hold your head high and say, “Yes, I am a mathematician!”. Best of luck!