Although it may seem a long way off, chances are that one day, degree-in-hand, you will be looking for a job. Your transferable skills will be of particular interest to potential employers, who will not just be concerned with your performance in your subject, but in the overall contribution you can make to their organisation. If you can convince an employer that you can work well within a team, communicate effectively, solve problems, organise, innovate, adapt, and so forth, you will outshine your competitors in the job market.
Below is a list of skills, both transferable and subject-specific, that your Mathematics Degree can offer you. It provides an interesting glimpse into how you might change and develop over the next few years. It will help focus your attention on exactly what you have achieved during your degree course - and this will make you better able to communicate these achievements to others, especially when writing job applications and attending interviews. It also hilights (in red) some of the aspects that the LEGO: Skills Session helps you practice, so you have some evidence of your skills.
Mathematical Skills. As a mathematics student you will study each of the major subject areas of modern mathematics: algebra, analysis, geometry, statistics, and applied mathematics. In the course of this study you will learn:- The language of mathematics and the rules of logic.
- How to state a mathematical idea precisely.
- How to prove or disprove a mathematical conjecture.
- How to extract meaning from mathematics on the written page.
- How to use mathematics to describe the physical world.
- Think clearly.
- Pay attention to detail.
- Manipulate precise and intricate ideas.
- Follow complex reasoning.
- Construct logical arguments and expose illogical ones.
- Formulate a problem in precise terms, identifying the key issues.
- Present a solution clearly, making your assumptions explicit.
- Gain insight into a difficult problem by looking at special cases or sub-problems.
- Be flexible, and approach the same problem from different points of view.
- Tackle a problem with confidence, even when the solution is not obvious.
- Seek help when you need it.
- Looking up lecture notes, text books and reference books.
- Scouring the library.
- Searching databases for references.
- Extracting information from every mathematician you meet (other undergraduates, postgraduates, tutors and lecturers).
- Thinking!
- Listen effectively.
- Write mathematics well.
- Write essays and reports.
- Give a mathematical presentation to a group.
- Use e-mail and access the internet.
- Learn a programming language.
- Solve problems using mathematical software.
- Learn word-processing, of both text and mathematics.
- Be thorough and painstaking in your work.
- Organise your time and meet deadlines.
- Work under pressure, especially near exam time.
- Work independently, without constant support from teachers.
- Work co-operatively with others to solve common problems.
- Determination
- Perseverance
- Creativity
- Self-confidence, and
- Intellectual rigour.
Adapted from University of Warwick.