math research positions (Score 1)

i used to be a math graduate student at a big ten university. spent 7 years on the ph.d. before deciding to quit. there are jobs available. to get a job at a top 20 school (basically a level I school) you need to be very good and should have gotten your ph.d. from a top 20 school. you need to have a passion for the research or else you won't get tenure. for schools like fsu or university of nebraska you have to be decent, not exceptional, to get those positions. the research quality isn't as good at level I schools but there are good mathematicians there. there just are a lot of mathematicians there who are mediocre. the other type of schools people don't really do much research so you don't have to be good at all. be a decent teacher and occasionally publish and you will be set. if you have the brains and the passion you will get a job. but you shouldn't go to graduate school in math for the money or the jobs. do it for the love of the subject. pick up some engineering or computing in undergraduate and maybe take a course or two in graduate school you will definitely be set. assuming you actually know anything. but once you have a taste for academics, imho, the corporate world just plain sucks.