Math - The Universal Language

Math is the only language that is shared by all human beings. Some would even say that it is a shared language with non humans as well ;-)

We all have the ability to be literate in this one language. Whether we are baking cookies or discovering the world of DNA, math provides us with the tools to unlock our universe.

If I were to list all the jobs that use Math....well, let's just say that I would be doing nothing else except listing jobs.

Sports? Math is used in sports in numerous ways. The first thing you probably think of is as a statistician.

A player's batting average (B) gives the percentage of hits the player makes when he is at bat. It is found by dividing the total number of hits made (h) by the total times at bat (a):

B = h/a

So if Joe has 120 hits in the 300 times he is at bat, his batting average is .400 (120/300).

 The Police  use Math. They do accident reconstruction. I'm sure you've seen either a police officer or highway patrol officer out on the street after an accident and they're taking measurements. They reconstruct the accident to determine what happened and, eventually, who was at fault.

Designers use Math in their design process. This guy designs backpacks, but whether you are designing cars, slaughter houses, computers or video games, you always use Math.

Radio Engineers and Program Directors need to figure out each and every day, how much time they need to fill for their programs. Think about it -- XYZ DJ has a 3 hour slot to fill. How do you fill it? How long is each song? How many commercials and how long do they run? How much talking time? I was amazed at how precise radio schedules need to be and how much Math is needed to figure out just a 3 hour slot!

If you want to find out more about different careers that require Math, check out this site. I like that they break down the different levels of math needed for certain jobs. Clicking on the individual links, takes you to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) site, which I use a lot!

 

Coder Girl

Computer Science tends to be male centric. I wish there were more women programmers. Maybe this might inspire some young women to look into Computer Science as a college major.

Get Ahead and Learn on Your Own

When I started to write this post about online learning, my thinking was that college isn't for everyone. And it's not. But as a recruiter in Silicon Valley, I can tell you that in order to get a job in high tech or to get ahead in a business career, you will, indeed, need a college education. The more prestigious the college, the more likely you are to snare the right job. But again, college, especially the brick and mortar kind, aren't for everyone.

So where does online education come into play? Well, first of all it can give you a boost up in your current job. Secondly it can provide you with extra knowledge about an area of interest. And lastly, it can supplement your past education. Don't rule it out.

Online education is going nowhere but UP! Even Bill Gates is a strong proponent of online learning. The Khan Academy  is a not-for-profit educational organization whose mission is to"provide a high quality education to anyone, anywhere". They supply a free online collection of over 2,000 videos on mathematics, history, finance, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and economics. I think this site is great for high school students.

But there are other online courses you can take as well. The University of Washington has online classes for Arts, Biotechnology, Health & Medicine, Law and a host of other majors. Or check out Carnegie Mellon University's Open Learning Initiative and take a Statistics or Biology class.

Penn State University offers a free Swedish class or a Hungarian Language course.

The University of Washington School of Medicine offers free CPR classes online, complete with video and instructional guides.

If you want to learn about dentistry, medicine, nutrition, and more, check out Tufts University.

There are a lot of syllabi from college classes that can be found on the web. Just do a Google search using this formula:  site:.edu math course syllabus. Replace math with whatever subject area you're interested in. For instance, if you want to find a syllabus for an art history class, just Google this: site:.edu "art history" course syllabus. Or you can find lectures, tutorials, notes, and even online books.

You can use these online resources to enhance your existing education or maybe just to satisfy your curiosity in a particular subject. Never stop learning. Ever.

CSI Here I Come!

My daughter hired a nanny for the grandkids this past summer. She comes home from college for the summer. During the school year the nanny is a student at the University of New Haven .

I started quizzing her about her major and what kind of career she was interested in. She said she was a die hard fan of the show CSI . For as long as she can remember, she has wanted to be a forensic scientist. This pdf www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/1999/Fall/art01.pdf , put out by the Bureau of Labor Statistic, gives you a good idea of what is involved in forensic lab work. Pretty interesting stuff!

Since I had no background in forensic science, I thought it wise to check out the class descriptions from the University of New Haven's Forensic program . Here are a couple of classes (just to give you an idea):

• Forensic Microscopy
• Fingerprints
• Forensic Pathology
• Criminalistics
• Capillary Electophoresis

The last one I think is like a DNA sequencing method.....but don't quote me on that.

I am in no way a science geek but I like solving mysteries. And it sounds to me like that's exactly what forensic scientists do. So if you enjoy solving mysteries and think you might actually enjoy Biology, then by all means, check out related jobs -- just do a Google search on forensic science and you'll have more reading than you ever thought possible. And also check out the University of New Haven's Forensic program . Those high school Biology classes might start looking pretty interesting ;-)