*Concerns of Young Mathematicians* Volume 3, Issue 22 July 19, 1995 An electronically distributed digest for discussions of the issues of concern to mathematicians at the beginning of their careers. Please direct submissions and questions to Kevin Madigan madigan@math.nwu.edu , editor for the months of July and August. Next issue: Wednesday, 2 August. June Editor: Emil Volcheck Emil.Volcheck@risc.uni-linz.ac.at July/August Editor: Kevin Madigan madigan@math.nwu.edu To subscribe: Contact Charles Yeomans at cyeomans@ms.uky.edu Back issues and other information are available via anonymous FTP to ftp.ms.uky.edu, in pub3/mailing.lists/ymn-list. Or connect to the YMN homepage on the WWW, the URL: http://math34.gatech.edu:8080/YMN/ymn.html The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the administrative board or membership of the Young Mathematicians' Network. The editorial policy of this newsletter is to encourage discussion of issues, and facilitate the dissemination of information, relevant to the concerns of young mathematicians. Table of Contents Item # Title ------ ----- 1 Editor's notes 2 AMS Announces New Employment Advertising Policy 3 Summary of 1995 YMN Job Survey 4 News From AMS Committee on the Profession 5 Even More Advice Regarding Nonacademic Employment 6 Closing Credits _______________________________________________________________ Item #1 Editor's notes: A reader writes: Dear Kevin: This is in response to your posting on last week's Concerns of Young Mathematicians (in which I mentioned I am now working as an actuarial analyst - KM). 1. How well are your co-workers/boss helping your transition? Are they assuming you "know it all" because you're a math Ph.D.? On the other hand, are they assuming you don't have certain background which you do have? Hmm...no one is assuming I know anything. I am in an entry level position. I felt my best strategy was to pursue an entry level spot and try to advance quickly. I am basically treated like any "new hire", though there is an awareness that I am not quite the same. 2. How much computer knowledge are you actually using? Are you programming? Using a spreadsheet? Using other packages? I am not doing any programming, though I suspect I may have that opportunity. I do know that many actuarial employees do program extensively, but none in my area. I use Lotus constantly, do a little work on the mainframe, and also use a few other products. 3. Do you feel you have a "mission" or a sense of what you should be accomplishing in your job? In other words, do you get a good sense of direction as to what you should do? Yes, basically I do. I also have my own long term plans which seem to mesh with the company's plans for me. 4. How much do you actually work with other people in your office? I would certainly hope some. Everyday, all the time. _______________________________________________________________ Item #2 AMS Announces New Employment Advertising Policy John Ewing, the new Executive Director of the AMS, has announced that the AMS will take steps to make certain that all institutions advertising positions in AMS publications are aware of the resolution "Supportive Practices and Ethics in the Employment of Young Mathematicians." Exact details of implementation are not yet decided, but Ewing intends to "... make sure that the statement about employment practices appears often and prominently in every place prospective employers may look, and we will remind employers about the statement with personal letters when they advertise positions." The AWM and MAA recently announced similar policies. (See CoYM, vol. 3, no. 20, June 21, 1995.) The MAA and AMS will coordinate their efforts. I'm sure that I speak for the whole YMN board in expressing my appreciation to John Ewing and the AMS. We believe that their efforts in support of the Employment Practices Resolution could make a very real difference in the lives and careers of many young mathematicians. Steve Kennedy skennedy@mathcs.carleton.edu ______________________________________________________________ Item #3 Summary of 1995 YMN Job Survey In late May, a survey on the job market was published in the Concerns, and responses were solicited. A total of 78 responses were received. Here, I have tried to compile some of the statistics from those responses. While this is a small (less that 5%) sample, and is not random by any means, there are some interesting pieces of information that can be gleaned from the data. The following chart compares applicant's present position (horizontal) versus situation next year (vertical). These categories are what the applicants indicated about their positions. tt := tenure track, pd := post doctoral, temp := temporary positions, part := part time, grad := graduate student, ps := private sector, nj := no job at the time of survey. tt pd temp part grad ps nj total tt 3 7 9* 13 32 pd 2 1* 9 12 temp 3 2 1 3 9 part 1 1 2 ps 1 1 1 3 nj 2 4* 2 8 3** 1 20 total 3 15 16 4 35 3 2 78 * := These applicants were trying to solve a two-body problem. ** := These applicants were trying to change jobs. Of those without tenure track jobs, 12 Have two year positions. 8 Have one year positions 2 Have part time positions. 1 is not clear from the response. 12 have postdoctoral positions The next 2 charts are histograms with frequency plotted horizontally. Date of initial job offer by type of employment. X:= Tenure track position, O := temporary position (including postdoctoral and part time), I := Non-academic employment 0 5 10 15 20 January XOO February XXXOOOOI March XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOOOI April XXXXXXXOOOOOI May XXXOOOO Two respondents with temporary job offers did not indicate when they received their offers. Since the survey took place during May, the numbers from May should be adjusted upwards before comparing with the other months. For both March and April, I have further indicated which half of the month the offers came. (This is only approximate, as not every response gave an exact date of offer) 0 5 10 15 20 March 1-14 XXXXXXXXXXXXOO March 15-31 XXXXXXOOOOI April 1-14 XXXXOOO April 15-30 XXXOOI Number of applications sent vs. outcome (academic) total tt temp nj 0- 9 5 2 2 1 10- 19 5 3 2 20- 29 4 4 30- 39 7 4 3 40- 49 5 2 3 50- 59 3 1 1 1 60- 69 7 1 4 2 70- 79 4 1 1 2 80- 89 3 3 90- 99 6 2 4 100-109 4 4 110-129 7 3 4 130-159 6 3 2 1 160 6 3 1 2 ----------------------------- Median 70 81 60 70 A few things to note about this information: Of the six people who sent out ten or fewer applications, 3 Were trying to solve a two-body problem (with 66% success) 2 Were graduate students who were "testing the water" prior to graduation and hooked tasty postdocs 2 Were trying to move from one tenure track position to another and only applied to the position they received. In addition, many of the successful applicants who sent out few applications attributed their success to having carefully selected where to send their applications and then tailoring each to the specific position it was for. Casually perusing this chart, one is struck by the lack of a correlation between number of applications sent and job success. This may be because applicants correctly gauge their chances of success and send out 'right' number of applications to ensure an average rate of success. An Economist might note that, as a means of transmitting information about the market, the market works efficiently. There may, however, be other valid interpretations of these data. [I wish to apologize for the publication delay of this summary; I have not had adequate Internet access for the past seven weeks. In late August, the third article from the job survey will appear; it will feature comments that were included among the responses. I want to thank those who took the trouble to respond to the survey.] -Frank Sottile sottile@math.toronto.edu _______________________________________________________________ Item #4 News From AMS Committee on the Profession The Subcommittee on Employment of the AMS Committee on the Profession recently put together a review of AMS employment activities. This report is now up on e-math (under employment information). This might be of interest to young mathematicians, as well as their advisors, especially because it now has a good number of links built in. Dr. Annalisa Crannell Department of Mathematics Franklin & Marshall College Lancaster, PA 17603-3003 (717) 291-4222 a_crannell@acad.FandM.edu fax (717) 399-4507 _______________________________________________________________ Item #5 Even More Advice Regarding Nonacademic Employment I have noted several excellent recent articles on industrial prospects for new graduates. I have had some modest technical industrial experience dating back a few years so I am qualified to express an informed opinion. This article is directed at those several years back in the graduation pipeline since it is usually too late if you have not picked up on these comments by graduation. First of all, let me be on record as encouraging a healthy consideration of career paths other than classical academic employment. With today's job prospects in academia and the current production levels of new mathematics graduates competing for them, any prudent person would be unwise not to consider and prepare for several employment options. I am certainly not negative against a career in academia, merely realistic. On the other hand, I do have to caution against viewing industry as being a sponge to soak up every new surplus PhD. I encourage exploration of various careers, but be realistic. Most American industries, governmental agencies, and national labs that have been traditional employers of large numbers of new graduates are having some major problems of their own these days. They should not be viewed as openhanded charity organizations dedicated to solving the problems of every young mathematician the schools turn out. The work in industry is somewhat different than college teaching. The work assignments, your career advancement, and your survival chances doing layoffs are enhanced if you are a mentally flexible individual. The most valued employees are those that are capable of receiving a new assignment in an area related to but different than their last project. (A barbed joke was that he/she wasn't very useful since all they could do was extend their thesis.) This often means a great deal of self education and learning from peers. Since one is often under time constraints, efficiency in learning is essential. People who have excelled in formal course work may or may not prove adaptable. Many studies over many years have shown that there is little if any positive correlation between a high GPA and earnings five to ten years after graduation. Certainly, success in formal schooling is something to be proud of and never hurts; I merely point out that long term success is a combination of several attributes in a person -- and a big dose of luck. At the top of the list is an ability to formulate a problem from a nebulous set of often conflicting conditions. Some math graduates function extremely well when presented with a clearly stated formal problem and objectives but flounder when having to abstract and model a problem from scratch in the midst of panic and confusion. Your value on critical projects, especially on the critical path in the PERT chart, is often directly related to mastering this skill. Take math modeling courses and otherwise develop some empirical skills while retaining ability in formal analysis. One of these sets of attributes that is sadly not stressed as much as it should be in formal studies is an ability to clearly communicate. Engineering memos, technical reports, design studies, etc., are rarely the equivalent of the great American novel. That is not their purpose. However, they do have to be well written in clear, technical, well punctuated English. People in a large corporation first know you by your writing; alas, there is usually NOT the time to rewrite and reword and ponder that exists when writing most math articles. A senior manager or chief engineer often has less than 10 minutes to review a typical technical memo. He will pick up the next one in the stack, regardless of the quality and merit of the analysis, if the first couple of paragraphs are an English teacher's nightmare come true. That's not right, and it is not good sense, but that is what happens. Learn to write well. I know; I wish somebody had said this paragraph to me in my 20's. Similar advice applies to speaking and public presentations as well as personal interreactions. Be sensitive to the fact that these skills are extremely important. Develop a positive, professional, style and presence. Never forget; "would a boss interested in advancing his/her own career want YOU representing him or her in front of the customer or their OWN boss?" Learn to establish priorities. I went to Case Institute of Technology at a time when T. Keith Glennon was president. In that era, there was there, by policy, three times more hours of homework and test preparation per week than could be accomplished in all of a sane person's waking hours. The whole point, although I was too overworked to appreciate it then, was to force one to learn to spend most of your time at those tasks which brought the best payoff. Glennon had been the first head of NASA in its glory days. He knew the real world. In industry, one should start worrying about your job security when presented with ample time to clear items off your desk. You are most valuable when everybody wants you to do something at once so you have to stay focused on the two or three most important. The trick is to learn to identify which ones they are. This essay will close with the following comment. There are many bright bodies out there with PhDs looking for jobs these days. There are also many excellent PhD level jobs for which a PhD is NOT absolutely required although it certainly would be helpful. So WHY should an employer hire sweet, wonderful little old YOU with YOUR PhD when he has a drawful of impressive resumes resulting from any job notice appearing today in a widely circulated source. The days when an employer would hire a bright young lad or lass with a fresh sheepskin and then spend two to three years grooming them to be useful are mostly golden history. So adapt; learn at least one trade while in school. Seriously, develop AND DOCUMENT solid actual job related skills and experience whenever possible, even if your goal is to teach at CalTech. Don't even knock the lowly off campus summer job as a technical grunt. I cussed one at the time; it later was more valuable than any five courses I ever took. Plan so that when you graduate you have an clear helpful answer other than "Dah!" to the question "Do I have identifiable specific skill(s) sufficiently learned that an employer who wants to get some, in demand, real task done NOW for real MONEY would hire me?" How could I prove it to him/her?" These are the types of questions one should ask oneself at the start of every quarter or semester. After graduation is often too late. Good luck! mannix@amath.washington.edu C. E. Mannix Jr. _______________________________________________________________ Item #6 Closing Credits Charles Yeomans cyeomans@ms.uky.edu Mark Winstead mwwinst@pic.net Nancy Wilson nwilson@stmarys-ca.edu Emil Volcheck Emil.Volcheck@risc.uni-linz.ac.at Frank Sottile sottile@math.toronto.edu Vic Perera vicum@math.ohio-state.edu Franklin Mendivil mendivil@math.gatech.edu Kevin Madigan madigan@math.nwu.edu Leigh Lunsford lunsford@math.uah.edu Steve Kennedy skennedy@mathcs.carleton.edu Matt Hudelson hudelson@math.washington.edu Silvia Heubach silvi@cinenet.net Greg Dresden dresden@fireant.ma.utexas.edu Bob Dobrow dobrow@cam.nist.gov Lyle Cochran lcochran@fresno.edu Kevin Charlwood kec1@bradley.bradley.edu Wendy Brunzie brunzie@mathfs.math.montana.edu Frank Arlinghaus frank@math.ysu.edu Edward Aboufadel aboufade@gvsu.edu _______________________________________________________________ End of Journal -- Next week: The Discussion Continues