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How to talk about math
On an airplane last weekend I sat next to a guy that said he wanted to be an engineer but could not get through the math. I asked him what he does today and he told me was an investment banker. I shook my head and asked if investment bankers took any math in school and he said that he had many math classes in college but he thought business math was easier than engineering math.As many of you know and probably struggle against, math is the gatekeeper. Perceptions about math have changed the course of millions of lives. Sometimes, all it takes is a bad teacher in first or second grade to change a student's direction and sometimes it is just too full of details like changing a minus sign to plus when putting it on the other side of the equal sign. Sometimes, tending to the details of math (and life) can seem overwhelming.
But, we need to tell students that math is just one tool in the engineer's box. Math and science are important tools to understanding the world but they are not the only tools that a person uses to solve problems. Fortunately, in engineering, there are thousands of different types of jobs. A student can choose a job that is very math intensive or they can choose a job that does not require as many calculations. The important thing is to learn why and when math should be applied and know what the approximate answer should be. For example, if an engineer is on-site at a location and enters an equation into a computer, he or she should have an idea what the answer should be so they can know if the computer is even close. If the computer is not close, that tells them that an assumption that was entered into the computer as part of the equation might not be correct.
According to the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), the engineering jobs requiring the most math are: research, complex analysis, complex design and development. The jobs requiring the least amount of math are marketing and sales, test and evaluation and manufacturing.
There is something for everyone in engineering. Every student can personally design his or her future. Other tools in the box include creativity, communication skills, teamwork skills, common sense, analytical ability, writing skills, presentation skills and time management.
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Posted by Celeste Baine on April 30, 2008
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