Also called: Cryptanalyst, Codebreaker
Makes and breaks secret codes, often for the National Security Agency, the largest employer of mathematicians in the US.
You work inside a secure building where phones aren't allowed, attacking encryption puzzles with pure math and powerful computers. You can't tell your friends exactly what you do.
Federal pay scales; based on mathematicians.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's, master's, or PhD in mathematics; US citizenship and a security clearance.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, Military. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mathematics, Computer Science.
Growing much faster than average (about 8% over 10 years). Growth is for mathematicians and statisticians combined.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI helps attack codes, but cleared mathematicians at the NSA still lead the hardest work, and demand stays strong.
Classes: AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science, Number theory.
Official data: O*NET occupation 15-2021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.