It's super late now and I still don't know what I want to do at uni, and also what uni I want to go to
I was thinking of doing actuarial studies at Macquarie or unsw since I like maths, however i'm not sure if i'll like it that much since the maths is more statistics and probability which is the math i liked the least at school
Another option I am considering is just a math course at unsw or usyd, however they don't seem to have a direct path after uni, like actuarial studies has
Also I am recently looking at engineering such as civil, mechanical or aerospace, but still unsure. I did engineering studies for the HSC and i really enjoyed the mechanics/math aspect of it, but disliked the materials parts.
For some context, I really like math, mainly like calculus and mechanics side of maths, however i still enjoy statistics and probability also
Does anyone have any suggestions about these 3 course types? (actuarial studies, math, engineering) Also any suggestions on what uni?
Any thoughts/help is appreciated
im studying maths next year, theres a lot of fields u can go into, including many finance positions, programming jobs, teaching (uni teaching pays well), data science, etc. its kind of a double edged sword in that it is super flexible, but id say its probably a good idea to learn the content in the field u end up being most interested in as well as just doing the regular courses (eg make some data science projects for ur portfolio). additionally the majority of maths graduates usually end up getting at LEAST a masters, though a phd is really common as it lets u do lecturing, and is overall just more competitive than just having a bachelor.
personally im going to uts for maths (bachelor of mathematical sciences, pure + applied math major), might seem like a bit of a weird pick but honestly the content they teach is quite similar to that of unsw and usyd, except maybe less pure math topics eg they dont really teach topology. i just prefer that their structure allows u to dip ur feet into many different fields, they have data science, finance, quantitative management classes built into the degree. i just prefer that their course seems to strike a balance between mathematical concepts and industry/employment specific things, but honestly both usyd and unsw also have great courses. i also just dont like trimesters at unsw and the fact that u have to take either another major aside math at usyd or do a bunch of electives/minor, but thats just personal preference.
if u like calculus/mechanics, id say engineering is probably fitting as theres a lot of that obviously. since u dislike materials id maybe recommend electrical engineering as afaik all u would have to learn is logic gate related stuff, so less of like physical materials stuff, but not too sure on that. the mathematics in electrical engineering is also pretty high level, so u certainly would be challenged there.
also, if u pick a math degree, u can take a master of acturial studies and become accredited through that path, which is certainly slower than just taking a bachelor in acturial but could be an option, at least that career is not completly lost if u decide to take up a math degree.
personally, id say:
- pick engineering/acturial for probably the most straightforward/least flexible career path, but honestly from reading what u wrote engineering sounds more fitting to ur interests, obviously i cant say for sure but acturial is mostly financial theory and excel from what ive heard, so keep that in mind
- pick math for more flexibility, there are some good career paths directly after uni, eg quants roles can be achieved directly from undergraduate afaik, but u might need further study afterwards
i was in ur situation at the start of the year, i was putting off maths for the same reason and quite indecisive between studying physics and specilising to become a medical physicist or studying computer science or engineering, but ultimately i decided on math, like u i also believed that math didnt have many career paths but thats just not true, and ultimately as it is probably the subject i enjoy the most (aside from compsci) and am definetly ready to put in the next 3-7 years of study in the field, i know at the end i can always get a job in finance or technology like data science or end up lecturing, all of which have decent-very good pay
sorry for wall of text hope this helps
