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Look for a job with the federal government. Work experience may make up for education negatives later on down the road when you are looking for other jobs. I was working full time when I got my college degree by going to school after work. I needed the degree to get higher graded positions. It didn't matter (in my case) what the degree was in. The combination of work experience, the willingness to move to where the higher graded jobs were and the degree allowed me to get promoted throughout my career and I retired 11 years ago with a very good pension.
Although this is unrelated to me, I know several people who majored in Accounting in college, took a job with the federal government, got the work experience and after 3 - 5 years, were much better candidates for jobs in the private sector than they were when they first got out of college.
You can look for federal government job announcements here:
Before I explain my situation, I understand that this is all my fault, so I really don't need to hear that in the comments.
When I was in high school, I was excelled in math, and even got a reputation for being a math whiz. When picking a major in college, it seemed like a no-brainer to me. I picked pure mathematics as my major because I thought there was no reason that I wouldn't do well in it in college when I had well in it in high school. Well, I was proven wrong by the end of my sophomore year.
In high school, math was mainly about computations and memorizing formulas, whereas college math is mainly theory-based and almost all proofs. At the end of my sophomore year, I knew I ought to change majors, but that would have meant taking a fifth year, which I really didn't want to do. So I decided that I would just double my efforts. However, the classes become even more theory-based, and I continued to barely scrape by. I ended up just barely good-enough grades to get my degree.
I've been out of college for almost a year, and I have yet to get a stable full-time job with my degree. Right now, I've just been shuffling through minimum-wage part-time jobs as a math tutor. I've applied for jobs and indeed and zip-recruiter, but I never hear back from them, and I know it's because of my weak qualifications. I don't expect to get a super-high-paying job(at-least not right now). The moment I graduated, I was willing to settle for a $20/hr full-time job, with the possibility of working my up slowly, but surely. But even getting to the bottom of the ladder is proving hard.
I've ruled out the possibility of getting a Master's Degree, because the gpa I would be required to maintain in the graduate program is one I did not achieve as an undergrad, and I would just be wasting more of my family's money. I might go back to school years later as a part-time student, but right now, I just need to work.
Like I said, I don't need to be told that this is my own fault, because I already know that. I just want to know what I would have to do right now to get $20/hr full-time job with my math degree. I just want to be able to afford a 1-bedroom apartment right now, and start paying my parents back for my college education.
My dude/dudette, you seem like you have your head on straight but it seems that you need a break through. It took me YEARS to break through after I graduated college. But it also required me to move to another state to find an opportunity.
How's the job market in your city? Is it booming or is it "meh." I graduated during the great recession in finance....which was one of the worst majors to have during that time. And since you like numbers, why not become an actuary? I was thinking about going into that field but a pure office job isn't for me. But that may be up your alley.
I had a friend that graduated with an anthropology degree and it took her two years to find decent employment. Right now, she works at a fancy hotel and she could use her degree to move up the ranks. Her degree has nothing to do with hotel management but she plans on using it to get promoted. Maybe you can do the same. Maybe you can get in with the state/local/federal government and move up from there.
Regarding programming, coding bootcamps are also a thing if you don't want to spend four years on a bachelor's and are okay with sacrificing a lot of the theory and broader knowledge. Some will even pay you to attend (provided you work at one of their clients for a few years after).
Before I explain my situation, I understand that this is all my fault, so I really don't need to hear that in the comments.
When I was in high school, I was excelled in math, and even got a reputation for being a math whiz. When picking a major in college, it seemed like a no-brainer to me. I picked pure mathematics as my major because I thought there was no reason that I wouldn't do well in it in college when I had well in it in high school. Well, I was proven wrong by the end of my sophomore year.
In high school, math was mainly about computations and memorizing formulas, whereas college math is mainly theory-based and almost all proofs. At the end of my sophomore year, I knew I ought to change majors, but that would have meant taking a fifth year, which I really didn't want to do. So I decided that I would just double my efforts. However, the classes become even more theory-based, and I continued to barely scrape by. I ended up just barely good-enough grades to get my degree.
I've been out of college for almost a year, and I have yet to get a stable full-time job with my degree. Right now, I've just been shuffling through minimum-wage part-time jobs as a math tutor. I've applied for jobs and indeed and zip-recruiter, but I never hear back from them, and I know it's because of my weak qualifications. I don't expect to get a super-high-paying job(at-least not right now). The moment I graduated, I was willing to settle for a $20/hr full-time job, with the possibility of working my up slowly, but surely. But even getting to the bottom of the ladder is proving hard.
I've ruled out the possibility of getting a Master's Degree, because the gpa I would be required to maintain in the graduate program is one I did not achieve as an undergrad, and I would just be wasting more of my family's money. I might go back to school years later as a part-time student, but right now, I just need to work.
Like I said, I don't need to be told that this is my own fault, because I already know that. I just want to know what I would have to do right now to get $20/hr full-time job with my math degree. I just want to be able to afford a 1-bedroom apartment right now, and start paying my parents back for my college education.
At the outset, a Bachelor degree in Maths,Physics, chemistry or any science means nothing to employers unless you are from harvard or stanford or top universities( or some pretty girl so you could land with FB or LinkedIn or bay area comps as recruiter or HR) . You have to find ways to apply it to a larger skillset.
IT would be a great fit for you - not the helpdesk or computer technicians, but real software development. Dont waste money on programming bootcamps, they are a waste of money and add nothing to your experience, unless you are winning a worldwide hackathon or something.
GO to Udemy or Youtube, take some courses about Data analysis, Excel, Statistics and find out how your math skills fit the larger picture.
Sending emails and applying online doesnt help much. Call them or meet them and push your case. Linkedin is a great tool to network.
Getting that first job was difficult for me. Once I gained some experience it became easier.
And I regret not following this advice - Dont move out after you get that job, since that day might never come . Move out first and find a living and a job.
( Its better to be with an empty wallet early in your career, than later).
And dont devote your entire time at this low end jobs that you are doing temporarily. Plan for your next one while doing what is required to keep you at this job .
OP, I have not read through all the suggestions, but I think I will be offering you an unique suggestion. There is a way to break through without investing time and money in another degree (basically throwing your first degree away).
I am struck by your story because your path so far is so similar to mine when I was at your age. I studied physics in college because I did very well in that subject in high school. I enjoyed feeling I was the smartest kid in the class. Naturally, or I thought, I majored in college, without seriously thinking what I was gonna do with it.
After college suddenly I realized I needed to get a job. I did not like the options I had with just an undergraduate degree. I had no job for half a year, then I moved back home.
So I sat home and gave the situation and what I could do a good thought. I concluded that I needed to find an industry with good long term monetary potential, but with very low or near-zero initial requirement to get in.
Sales is one of those. But sales in what?
Almost every type of sales -- cars, phones, the klapper, hair club for men, encyclopedia, whatever -- will give you lots of financial reward if you are successful. But there is one type which I thought was especially potential. Everyone despises Wall Street people for the amount of money they make; that told me Wall Street is where I wanna be. I became a stock broker.
A stock broker in my day -- and probably today still -- is just a sales job. Some firms require zero qualification because there is no base salary; there is nothing for the company to lose to give a new guy a shot. Everyone can be trained to read a script; the rest is up to each person.
No, I did not get rich pumping-and-dumping. Only a few firms did that. Majority of the brokerages try to leverage people network to do sale.
I did pound the White Pages though. Did broking for a couple of years, was mediocre at it, could barely pay bills; but I got familiarized with the industry. I then sought lateral move opportunities to get into the more serious and skill-based sides of the industry (customer service, frontline representative, project management, etc. At that point I started to have a real and stable paycheck.
All the while I continue to beef up my industry knowledge, eventually applying for company financial support to take some business courses at near-by university. Things started looking up.
Then internet trading came (oops dated myself), a game-changer which opened up a brand new universe where everyone is on equal footing. Crazy salary levels in internet bubble days bumped me up to a nice level and allowed me to start investing in real estate. The rest is (housing price) history.
Sound decisions from this point on + plan + sacrifice + family support + hard work + some luck is my formula.
Personally, I think you should just forget you even have a math degree and only mention it on a resume or if it becomes a discussion point in an interview. Having this particular degree seems to have you stuck at the starting gate for some reason or another.
What you need is a job. Find an entry level job, stay there a few years and gain some practical work experience and then you will have options. Meanwhile, stay at home but pay your parents back the money you owe them. I’m very certain they will appreciate that. Also, do everything you can to be a contributor around their home instead of a moocher. We parents tire of that very quickly.
Maybe try getting on at a bank.
My friend got a job as a PT teller and they pay her 16/hr. She has a HS degree and work experience in customer service/cash handling.
You could even try to sub. teach, or keep tutoring, to supplement if you can only get on PT at first. You might decide you are really passionate about one, and if not, it would at least be more of an income in the mean time
Given your talent for math I would have gone into accounting or engineering. Never too late to change directions, you could go back to school for engineering or could probably get a job in accounting right now, work it for a while maybe get your CPA later.
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