
Why Are Math Jobs So Much Fun? - peter123
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/davenport/2009/01/math.html
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RiderOfGiraffes
I worry a lot about trying to get kids to study math simply because it's well
paid indoor work with no heavy lifting.

That's really, _really_ not why math should be studied. Math should be studied
because it's interesting and fun. You might get a short term burst by claiming
it will lead to more money, but study after study after study show that money
is not a good motivator, especially the promise of money in the far distant
future.

Math should be shown to be intrinsically interesting. It is, honest. We just
need to figure out how to convey that. And if you don't think it is, you
haven't found the fun bits.

OK, it doesn't suit everyone. But if we can find out how to teach it, then
we'll find that it suits more than it does now.

~~~
gaius
I didn't encounter any _interesting_ maths until I was 18 and in my first year
of a Mech Eng degree. Perhaps it was just the way it was taught in secondary
school, altho' I was good at it there didn't seem to be much point. Then they
taught us linear programming and it was literally mind-expanding. Suddenly a
whole class of things I couldn't even think about before was opened up before
me. The question is, how can that moment be experienced younger, by people who
don't already have an A-level (or high school diploma, whatever you call it).

------
gaius
They are well-paid because relatively few people are good enough at maths to
do it at a professional level. And we need the Harvard Business Review to tell
us that?

This just in: rock stars make a tonne of money (and I mean actual rock stars,
not Rails developers) so why aren't kids learning to play the guitar?

Getting _any_ well paid job involves first paying your dues in practice or
study. Anyone who is willing to do that will prosper in any field. _That_ is
what schools should be teaching.

