A Mathematician's Survival Guide: Graduate School and Early Career Development [Paperback]

It tells you most of the basic things of becoming a mathematician, more specifically, an professor of mathematics. I was quite passionate for a career in the academics. But after reading the book, I decided to try other choices because I don't want to spend 4 years as an undergraduate, 5 years OR MORE as a graduate student, and then 2 years or more as postdoc and another 5 or more years as an assistant professor waiting for the tenure while being paid like $50,000-55,000 a year!!! This is crazy and unfair! My friend with an MBA has $70,000 as beginning salary! Suppose I can be a full professor at an above average research university, I probably would get paid just $70k a year! Why should I waste so much time (at least 20 years!!) earning so little and engaging myself into such a fierce competitive academic world! I do thank the author for telling us about the path of being a professor of math. He also lists many other governmental and private companies' positions that are more attracting than the professorship, and that's what I am going for!
In summary:
First of all, you got to pass the qualifying exams, which are harder than the William Lowell Putnam Mathemtics Competition. Then, you have to spend 4-6 years writing a good thesis! If your thesis is not significant enough, you may have a very tough time finding a plum job. Even if you have produced an important thesis, you have show yourself constantly and actively working on your field subjects. You then may have an assistant professorship on the tenure track--waiting for the vote of the faculty members, and approval of the dean, the provost and then the Chancellor. The process is kinda of harsh.

But as the author says "One of the best things about a degree in mathematics--at any level--is that it opens many doors and closes few of them. It gives you a world of opportunities from which to choose." Good luck to us who love math! Wish us well.

This is a very useful book. But Bar Nes and Noble sells it at a cheaper price, something like 22 dollars. Faster and free shipping too. I prefer that than amazon.

He's a great story teller as well as a great mathemtics professor! His style is so charming that I can't stop reading the book. This book is very useful for those who aspire for a career in mathematics. It tells almost everything that you need to know. It's extremely hard to become a mathematician and a mathematics professor, but this book helps making the process smoother. Read it for fun and enjoy it!