COSAM News Articles 2019 October CEO Speaks to Math Club about the Importance of a Degree in Mathematics and Statistics

CEO Speaks to Math Club about the Importance of a Degree in Mathematics and Statistics

Published: 10/08/2019

By: Maria Gebhardt

Ria Persad, CEO of StatWeather and President of the European Chamber of Digital Commerce, visited Auburn University to share insight and speak directly with students.

Persad, who lives in Amsterdam, gave a lecture entitled Following Your Dreams: A Mathematician’s Journey in a World of Change. She talked to students about the importance of a math-centric degree and future career paths. As the CEO of her own company, she discussed the importance of family-friendly policies.  By instituting flexible options, more than 80 percent of her staff are female employees.

“A degree in mathematics and statistics is extremely sought after,” Persad explained. “While the job may not be called mathematician, what we do has practical applications across every industry.”

Students heard about pursuing a career in traditional paths such as academia with opportunities for research and teaching.

Persad shared how these students could find an array of jobs in any industry with a mathematics degree and create successful and rewarding career paths.

She spoke about the power of a degree in this field. A student can become a climate modeler in government, an intelligence data analyst in the military, or find a job in a corporate setting and work on projects such as artificial intelligence for self-driving cars. A student could decide to work around the world as a consultant, work for a non-profit, or even become a communications expert.

She explained how she started her own company and shared tips for students to consider becoming entrepreneurs.

The math club participants had a chance to ask questions and speak with Persad after her talk.

 

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