Majors in mathematics (BS) prepare for a wide variety of careers. Some enter graduate school or professional schools and prepare for careers in such fields as college teaching, consulting, research and development, law, medicine, and business administration. Others take positions in government agencies, industrial laboratories, information management firms, or business organizations. All of them spend much time communicating with colleagues about the problems they are solving as they continue to learn more mathematics and share mathematical ideas with others.

A mathematician's stock in trade is the ability to solve problems and to explain the solutions to others. Having once determined what the right questions are, solving problems involves analyzing both concrete and abstract situations, relating them to mathematical ideas, and using mathematical techniques to work toward solutions. Explaining the solution involves pointing out what has been solved and why the solution is valid.