Ask HN: Who hires mathematicians?

NSA is the obvious answer if you want to do math - they do math at a lot of levels, from research in algorithmic number theory to programming in mathematically correct exploits. One former NSA employee told me that they retrained him as a programmer.

Data Science is possible, but generally seems hard to break in without prior programming experience or a masters or higher - I had problems getting in as a 4 year PhD dropout from a prestigious math program, and ended up teaching myself programming & have carved out a nice career as a software engineer. My math & physics background has proven to be a bonus in my favor when interviewing, and I generally am favorable to people with a math background I encounter in industry/interviewing candidates since I have found it fairly uncommon.

I would go to on campus career events if possible, and talk with company recruiters about interviewing & general tips. There are potential other options depending on how open you are to them - the options are a lot more open IMO than with most degrees. One thing that might help is to go to Indeed, LinkedIn, etc., and just search for jobs in a particular area - if a particular profession sounds like something that might be feasible/palatable for a career or first step, jot down the title, and continue. This doesn't mean you're committing to anything in particular, but it will help you understand what you are looking for better and better prepare for any future interview sessions where they ask you what got you interested in .

The short answer is “everyone”. I’m a mathematician who’s worked in various roles in various sectors. Not one of them actually involved doing any maths, but plenty of them appreciated the kind of mental training studying maths gives you. (There are other routes to this clarity.)

So I guess the question is: are you looking for a job where you get to do maths, or are you just worrying about employability?

In my experience (undergraduate mathematical statistics, currently "quant financial engineer") this is exactly right. If you want to continue "doing" math in the sense you did in school, or in the sense we assume a "mathematician" does, it really is almost exclusively a consideration accompanying having a doctorate in the field. Mainly because as stated above, undergraduate mathematics really just scratches the surface of core competencies. That being said, while not many fields offer pure math tracks for undergrads it certainly doesn't make it irrelevant. In most "quant" fields mathematical literacy and the thought patterns accompanying having studied mathematics are far more valuable than actual proficiency. Outside of research few individuals are "paving new roads" mathematically, they are most often applying the results of cutting edge research or long standing industry standards in mathematics within the context of their job. This requires a high level of mathematical fluency and comfort with abstract formalisms, not theory expertise akin to that of a phd.

Not having work you can show would be the least of my concerns about working at the NSA. How about more pressing issues like "am I undermining democratic governments?" Or "am I helping collectivism engulf the entire world?"

I did the same thing, and ended up working for an early-stage biotech company doing some combination of hardware design, signal processing, machine learning, and experiment design. For better or worse, people generally seem to think a math degree implies "smart" and tend to be willing to overlook a lack of any specific skills...