The Myth of the Resume Gap

[Unabridged]

i finished my masters in mathematics last spring and spent the last year not doing [censored] but playing cards. if for some reason i have to get a real job this fall, do you think the gap will be harmful? do you think i could get away with saying i was researching math problems(which i did spend a decent amount of time doing, but nowhere near full time) for the last year?

sort of related, do you think i could get a job in finance even though i've had no finance classes and my degree is in pure mathematics, but i have knowledge about stocks, options, etc