K-State alumna Liz O'Brien graduated from K-State with a master's degree in mathematics and now is working in Wichita at Bombardier Aerospace Learjet as a computer programmer.
Along with computer programming and finance analysis, she works with the aftermarket and spare-parts sales.
O'Brien said the math degree helps her thought processes when dealing with computers.
"It's more like a logical thinking process when you are debugging something or writing something new," she said. "The skills you need to proof a formula are the same kinds of skills you use to do good programming."
O'Brien said she has seen a drastic change in technological advances from the time she was an undergraduate at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., to her position at Learjet.
"When I was at Benedictine, they didn't even have a computer department," she said. "At K-State, if you wanted a report printed out, you had to go up to a window and ask them to do it for you."
O'Brien said the Sept. 11 attacks hit the economy hard, especially the aerospace industry, however, Web-based jobs are opening doors in the job market.
"There's a lot more job opportunities since it's brand new and didn't even exist before," she said.
Although O'Brien said she hopes to stay at her job for many years, she said it is a constant game of catch up.
"You always have to plan for training to keep up with stuff that's going on," she said. "I still need to get that training."
A math degree does not always lead to a career as a high school math teacher.