can I switch from being a lawyer to a mathematician?

Question

I am a corporate lawyer. Good, steady, job. Financially rewarding. It was difficult to get here. I had to work hard in college and law school. But now that I have been practicing for a few years, I realize that this job is ... well it's fine, but now I am seriously considering switching gears and becoming a mathematician.

Is such a career change within the realm of possibility??

I am in my late twenties. Having majored in liberal arts in college, I have not taken a math/science course in 10 years (my last math course being second-year calculus)! After reviewing old textbooks it's clear to me that I have forgotten quite a bit and probably need to start all over.

Looking back, I very much regret not majoring in math/sciences as an undergrad. I guess in high school I lost interest in math. I didn't have... I guess it's called..."mathematical maturity". In other words, I just coasted by, learning the rules needed to pass exams (perfect math score on SATs, but taken in the year 2000), but I never seriously considered any problem for the sake of actually understanding the theory behind it.

Now an interest in mathematics has hit me full on, and just the thought of wasting another moment advising on contracts and not studying is almost driving me crazy.

Please advise. Can I realistically switch careers within a reasonable period of time? Is my brain too old to learn advanced math and actually be competitive among peers (I think I need to redo calculus from scratch)? Where should I begin? I have a wife and child, and have saved up enough money to support them for about 2 years without generating any income.

Many thanks in advance!!

Answer 1

I am now retired from a lifetime as a mathematics teacher. I really wish that I had been a corporate lawyer instead. The grass is always greener .......

Answer 2

It critically depends on what kind of work you plan to do as a mathematician. For example, if you want to get into statistics, then it is feasible to switch, and still earn about the same kind of money you are earning now as a "corporate lawyer". However, if you want to get into theoretical mathematics and specialize in some field, say, functor theory, you're going to have a heck of a time in even finding a job that pays you to work in functor theory. Unless you're a tenured professor of functor theory. But competition is pretty stiff in this kind of high end mathematics which will demand published papers. If you're not already a nut about mathematics and knew what a functor even is when you were in high school (no, it's not a FUNCTION, but a functor, which is a different animal), it's likely that this is really not your thing.



On the other hand, there are a great many careers that make heavy use of mathematics, such as engineering, military operational analysis, communications, market financial analysis, even one in Google---yes, they really use a lot of mathematicians. So, if you're more into such applied fields of mathematics, sure, why not? You're still young at 20, and it's a myth that "math just gets too hard after the age of 40", like you're trying to be a pro baseball player. Maybe if you are trying to be the next Stephen Hawkings, you think twice about starting after the age of 40, but many people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s can still "do the math" extremely well. Google Paul Erdos as one example.

Answer 3

to actually become a mthematician? It would be more realistic to switch to being a professional tennis player. See what I mean?



Now if you just want to find a job where you would apply maths like statistics or stuff, that may be doable but soon it will bring the same kind of routine that you hate now, for probably less money. And 2 years is very short. Even changing field within maths takes 2 years at least, if the fields are related, with no guarantee of success.

Answer 4

You could do it if you really want to. Your age shouldn't matter. However, as for it being done in a reasonable amount of time, that depends on what you think is reasonable. Since you think you need to start all over with calculus, that probably means it will take you 4 years to get a bachelor's degree in mathematics. After that, you would need to get a PhD. PhD programs typically take about 5 years. After getting your PhD, if your goal is to become a professor (which is what most mathematicians do) you will probably need to do a post-doc, which generally lasts 3-5 years, and then you could obtain a position as an assistant professor.

Answer 5

Queries/thoughts:



1. discussing this with your wife

2. stay with the law until you've put your child through college (and hopefully set up a sufficient retirement next egg for you and your wife)

3. then switch to math

4. or, as a "head start", could you tolerate taking math courses while working as a lawyer?

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I suggest you do math as a hobby, self teach you and do some math work.

Fermat was lawyer and mathematician too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Fermat

Answer 8

Who says you can't? If you want to do it go for it!

Answer 9

go for the gusto