Q: What did the mathematician say when he finished his Christmas dinner?
A: root -1/ root 64

Get it? i/8. I over ate.

...

One of two things just happened. Either you rolled your eyes at us, or you actually laughed...after solving the problem. If you fall into the latter crowd, you should definitely keep reading and put some serious thought into becoming a mathematician.

And for the others who are merely curious: we promise, no more bad math jokes.

When you think of a mathematician, you probably imagine someone with thick glasses and bad teeth wearing suspenders and banging on calculators all day. You'd be right, but that's only one specific mathematician. His name is Earl and he's actually a pretty nice guy, so don't judge.

Anyone who works in a field that uses mathematics as the tool of discovery and innovation can be considered a mathematician. Engineers, computer programmers, statisticians, physicists, and even your grumpy tenth grade geometry teacher Mr. Finn are mathematicians.

Although that's probably not what you called him. (Source)

To become a mathematician, you'll need to have more than a passing interest in long division and fractions. At the very least you'll need a bachelor of science degree, and that will only open the very lowest rung of math jobs for you (like teacher or baseball score keeper). 

To achieve any level of respect and notoriety in your field, you'll have to get a master's degree―or two. A Ph.D. will almost certainly be required if you'd want to create math technologies of the future, or get a cushy university teaching gig (a.k.a. the Mathematician's Jackpot).

Mathematics in general is an incredibly lucrative field. The normal human being is in awe of your specified skill set, to the point of giving them a reputation of extraordinary power. That means loads of cash. The average mathematician makes a sweet six-figure salary every year, with the top mathematicians averaging $118,000 per year.

This is my happy face. (Source)

We should point out—that high-roller lifestyle hits the breaks the minute you choose a career as a public high school math teacher. You'll be lucky to make $60,000, and you'll be waist-deep in disrespectful teenagers. We know, you believe that children are the future, yada yada; remind yourself that every day one of those impressionable young minds makes you want to hurl a trigonometry textbook through the classroom window. You'll quickly learn why Mr. Finn was so grumpy.

One of the more lucrative mathematics careers in today's market belongs to the science and engineering research companies. You could help create the technologies of the future, from artificial intelligence to solar engineering to biotechnology. Mathematicians are a huge part of that development; they explore the problems and analyze patterns to create solutions that carry technology forward. We call this "progress." You might call it "another day at the office."

So is a future full of numbers and letters (that actually mean numbers) right for you? At this point in your life, you probably know whether this is the right kind of career for you.

Mathematics is not an easy career to pursue; it's an intense field that demands a lot of brainpower. If you see a problem on a test that begins "One train is headed to Milwaukee at fifty-two miles per hour..." and your brain starts to freeze over, we have other careers that might pique your interest.

However, if you love problem-solving, enjoy word problems, and fall asleep dividing sheep into fractions, then this might add up to a fulfilling career as a professional applied mathematician.

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