Graduating with Maths Degree - unsure of next steps

[autrejour]

DS will be graduating with Maths degree in 2025 but unsure what to do next. He's not set on a specific career path yet but keen to find something that uses his skills of problem solving/ analytical thinking.
What would be the best way for him to explore his options ? Graduate schemes, internships etc ?
If anyone has any insight into industries or pathways that might suit a Maths graduate , I would really be grateful for your advice.

I think the Prospect.ac.uk website is helpful starting point with content based on empirical data from the Graduate Outcomes Surveys (see link below).

The most lucrative careers are often based on persuasive skills and/or ringfenced technical knowledge and the latter means exams and/or lifelong learning which ever way you look at it.

www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/mathematics

Was going to suggest similar

data scientist / biostatistician working with pharma companies

or data scientist working in any field remit, they're in high demand

This will require professional exams. Probably CTA at a minimum.

I qualified as an ACA (FCA now I've got grey hair) and was a small business tax consultant in my own accounting practice (until I retired) but a lot of the bigger firm tax managers were CTA or even ACA and CTA.

Another one recommending actuarial science - far more lucrative than accounting and could also be a pathway into risk management if he wants to broaden in the future. Either way, if he wants a successful professional career, more studying will be inevitable. Lifelong learning and all that. Best getting through those exams when he’s young when there’s an established framework (graduate training schemes) and no family commitments.

My friend went into operational research then worked for a cruise ship company managing their logistics and stuff. Good travel discounts!

Operations research in general, OP

What about finance? Ds did maths then applied for trader trainee graduate job. Loved it now working in New York for a big hedge fund. He is not at all Wolf of wall street type. Neither is anyone he works with.

There is a CTA/ACA combined route which is changing slightly under the latest ICAEW Next Generation plans. They drop an ACA paper & replace with a couple of the final CTA papers. I think it usually takes an extra 6 months.

I graduated in Maths and was very uninterested in finance or teaching (actuary comes under finance for me) so went into Software. There's a huge variety of software careers. I thought I would do mathematical modelling, cryptography or game creation but ended up in consultancy. No regrets and it's far less exam dependant than financial paths. (I was good at exams, but possibly like your son, burnt out of exams after doing them non stop for so many years)

@autrejour all the 2025 graduate jobs are being advertised now. My strong recommendation is that your DC should visit job sites like Indeed and set up an alert filtered for graduate jobs that mention maths in his geographic area of interest. He should then apply for as many as possible that he finds interesting. He may have to apply for very many jobs before he is offered one so it's best not to be too picky.

Summer internships are mostly aimed at students in their penultimate year, not their final year, but not exclusively, so perhaps look at those too. They are used as a recruiting tool. My DC (also in his third year of a maths-related subject) had one this summer and they have now offered him a grad job for Sept 2025 on the back of it. This time last year he applied for about 12-15 internships before he got an offer. Some of his friends applied for many more.

Data insights or Data Science

DD is doing an internship as a biostatistician at a pharma company. She has biology A level so was interested in the area.

MI5 or 6 . Google it. One of my daughters friends is employed there and has a good salary.

Please get him in to data analytics/ data science. This industry is booming.

There are plenty of graduate schemes available, in this field, some that will lead to full time roles within the organisation.

Analytics/Data can be found in many industries, banking, retail, education, medicine, charity etc so he can take his pick in terms of interest and apply his analytical and mathematical skills there.

Pay does vary quite a bit depending on industry but would be the same for any other roles.

LinkedIn is an amazing place to start.

Finance. Accountancy, consultancy, Banking, insurance. Academic/scientific publishing, Researcher, statistician, business analyst, data/software/IT, academic/teacher?

There will be some requirement to learn to code however with this field but the graduate schemes do take that into account.

I know a math grad that completed a graduate scheme, along side a coding course. Became a Senior Analyst and is now aiming for a Lead role, think she's only 27.

I did a maths degree, went into a specific area that I was interested in and ended up teaching when I had kids so have never been well paid. I often think I should have gone into finance but I thought it sounded terribly boring and I hated stats and data analysis. It really depends on what their specific interests are and how motivated they are by salary prospects.

Exactly what I was going to suggest. Also GCHQ.

I work in tech with a number of Math graduates. They are software engineers, it's challenging and fun for people who like problem solving. Pay is not as good as actuary though!

I did a maths degree and am now a film producer. A Logical mind helps with schedules and budgeting.

My daughter is a maths graduate. She researched the city jobs and found out about the stres and pressure s9 she’s now doing accountancy on the job and exams and loving it!

If you have a maths degree you are excellent!

Air traffic control? Supply chain management?

Data scientists are very much in demand.