Made with FlowPaper - Flipbook Maker
MATHS CAREER GUIDE 2020/2021 Maths graphs and impact G lobal Av erage T emperatur e T emperature °C 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 -0.4 -0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0. 6 0. 8 1. 02 Success at School is a national careers website for students aged 11-19, as well as their teachers, careers advisors, parents and other influencers. Young people can learn about their future career options through no-nonsense careers advice related to their own experiences. As well as covering topics such as career paths, industries, apprenticeships, university and employability skills, we connect schools and students to employers and universities through opportunities on our site and our interactive forums. Millions of young people and their influencers have visited our site for advice and information to help them plan for the future. Go to successatschool.org for more information. Copyright Success at School Ltd 2020 AboutSuccess at School3 MATHS CAREER GUIDE 05 What is maths? 06 How will maths prepare me for work? 10 Should I choose maths? Contents 12 T-levels 15 Why work experience matters 18 How to future-proof your career 14 Job roles 30 Everything you need to know about gap years 20 Spotlight job 32 University 22 Interviews 26 Apprenticeships 34 Your action plan4 No matter what path you choose, you are likely to use maths at some point in your career. Maths underpins all areas of our society and is crucial to the success of organisations. As our environment becomes increasingly more digital, people with a solid foundation in maths are ready to adapt to these changes. Maths-based careers are varied and can be demanding but are extremely fulfilling. There are so many roles out there, where you can really put your numerical skills to the test. The influence of data science, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence will open up opportunities that don’t even exist yet, but all of them are grounded in maths. The actuarial profession is just one of the areas where you can really make a difference. Actuaries are experts in risk, who use their love of maths and statistics to help businesses and governments navigate complex issues in a rapidly changing world. Actuaries are smart and analytical, but also curious and adaptable with the ability to plan for the risks of tomorrow. Maths is a subject that can really take you anywhere. Are you ready to see where it will take you? Foreword5 We use maths in everyday tasks, like buying shopping and cooking, but maths is about more than just basic numeracy. We also use maths to solve complex problems. For example, all the figures you see highlighting impact of climate change are calculated with mathematical models. Maths is also fundamental to our technology. Did you know that without maths you wouldn’t have a smartphone or TV? Maths helps us to understand the world and explore situations from different angles. At school you’ll learn to use not just numbers, but also symbols and formulae, to find solutions to a variety of problems. You’ll work through problems logically and learn basic data handling and analysis techniques. There are many careers, particularly in finance, that will use your maths skills. Tax advisers and financial traders need a solid understanding of maths. But so too do many careers in computing and IT, such as software developers, network engineers and big data specialists. Maths is also vital for engineers. The skills you develop in your maths lessons could see you helping develop the next generation of electric cars or finding ways to improve the efficiency of wind turbines and solar panels. Maths also has applications in scientific research or could lead you to a career where you’re developing new medical technology. It opens up a world of possibilities. What is maths?6 5 workplace skills you’ll learn in maths Data analysis In class: You’ll work with datasets to learn how to interpret and present data in different ways. You’ll use diagrams and graphs to help you understand and represent the data and spot trends. You may also learn to use technology, such as spreadsheets or specialist statistical tools to help you explore the data. At work: As we all generate so much data, analysing data is important in many organisations. Social media marketers need to analyse data to tell whether their campaigns are effective. Economists use data from various sources to make predictions about how economies and businesses are expected to perform. How will maths prepare me for work? Logical thinking In class: Maths follows set rules, systems and patterns. When you’re solving mathematical problems, you need to take a logical approach. You’ll learn to work through calculations step by step, showing your working as you go. At work: Being able to take a methodical and logical approach is important if you become a solicitor, where you have to think logically about the information you’re presented with. Machine learning engineers need to write programs and algorithms that teach machines to take logical decisions. Numeracy In class: Numeracy is the basic ability to understand and work with numbers. In school, you’ll not only master the basic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, but you’ll also work with time, money, lengths, volumes and numerical approximations like the Newton-Raphson method. At work: Actuaries need strong numeracy skills to help them evaluate financial risks to businesses and insurers. But numeracy is important in many jobs that aren’t directly related to maths. Retail managers will use these skills when they cash up the tills at the end of the day. Purchasing managers need to be good with numbers to ensure they buy equipment and goods at competitive prices. Problem solving In class: You’ll learn how to collect information, process it and interpret it to find answers to problems, using mathematical methods. You’ll also look at how to simplify and represent a situation to enable you to explore possible solutions. You’ll be encouraged to work through problems in a logical way. At work: The ability to solve problems is valuable in all jobs. You might be an urban planner who needs to find the best way to balance development with communities and the environment. Or you could be a cyber security analyst who needs to identify and prevent cyber-attacks. Mathematical modelling In class: You’ll learn how to use and create mathematical models for situations and make simplifying assumptions when you do. You’ll discover what inputs you need for your model to allow you to explore the situation and interpret the outputs of the model. At work: Mathematical modelling is used in many science-based careers. It’s a skill you’ll need if you become a medical scientist or a physicist, for instance. It’s also an important skill within the technology sector and will be useful if you become an algorithm development engineer or a computer system analyst. 7 MATHS CAREER GUIDE ...and 2 you may not have thought of Communication In class: You’ll learn to present your solutions to mathematical problems in an appropriate form and explain why you took a specific approach. Explaining how you approached a problem and what the solution was is just as important as getting the right answer. At work: If you become a maths teacher, you’ll need to explain mathematical problems and methods clearly to your students. Business analysts need to be excellent communicators to not only gather information from across an organisation, but also to share their findings clearly and openly. Accountants need to communicate clearly with clients too. Evaluation In class: You’ll evaluate different methods for solving problems, as well as the accuracy or limitations of solutions by making estimates and considering the result in context. You’ll learn to weigh up different options for solving a problem and choose the most appropriate. At work: Being able to evaluate different information to reach a conclusion is useful if you’re a criminologist who is trying to understand what happened at a crime scene. Doctors use this skill to help them decide the best course of treatment for a patient. After the disease...8 Gain an understanding of trigonometry, including the use and definitions of sine, cosine and tangent. Learn the sine and cosine rules. Know how to use double angle formulae and understand the geometrical proofs of these formulae. Trigonometry is used in a variety of jobs. Structural engineers use trigonometry to work out the height, angle and size of supports for structures such as bridges. Land surveyors use trigonometry to calculate the height of buildings or landmarks, or even to work out the square footage of a curved piece of land. KnowledgeHow will it help me at work? Learn about algebra and its functions. Understand and use the laws of indices. Develop your knowledge of different algebraic equations, such as simultaneous equations and quadratic equations, and learn how to solve them. Algebra opens up opportunities because it allows you to work through something even if you don’t have all the values. This makes it useful in a variety of jobs. Chemists might use algebraic equations to work out what proportion of ingredients they need for an experiment. Astronomers use algebra to help them analyse and make sense of the data they collect about the solar system and beyond. Without algebra, we would never have built the Hubble Telescope or discovered Pluto. Understand statistical sampling and how to use various sampling techniques, including simple random sampling and opportunistic sampling. Learn how to choose suitable sampling techniques by evaluating the various options and applying them to a specific statistical problem. Statisticians specialise in collecting, analysing and interpreting quantitative data. A solid understanding of statistical sampling methods is useful in other careers too. User researchers need to choose the most appropriate way of finding out what people think about a product or service. Meteorologists use samples of data to make more general predictions about the weather and other climate patterns. 5 ways your maths know-how will help you at work Ireland Scotland adjacent hypotenus e opposite9 MATHS CAREER GUIDE Develop your knowledge of kinematics. Work with speed and distance, expanding into concepts such as velocity, speed, acceleration and displacement. Learn to use calculus in kinematics for motion in a straight line and explore how to model motion under gravity in a vertical plane using vectors. As a satellite designer you need to understand kinematics to ensure that your satellite is launched with the right speed, acceleration and direction to maintain its orbit around the Earth. Automotive engineers need to think about the speed and acceleration of new vehicles and estimate their performance. KnowledgeHow will it help me at work? Learn to calculate probability for both mutually exclusive and independent events. Understand conditional probability and how to calculate it using methods such as tree diagrams, Venn diagrams and 2-way tables. Understand the conditional probability formula, as well as how to model with probability. Assessing the likelihood of an event happening is essential for an insurance underwriter, who has to decide whether to offer an individual or business insurance cover and what level of cover to provide. Health and safety managers need to assess risks and the probability of incidents to allow them to put appropriate measures in place to keep everyone safe. Business insurances: Employer’s liability, public liability, professional indemnity, business interruption, commercial buildings and contents, credit risk, key man, landlordNext >