Most people go to college because they are trying to build a better future for themselves. What job do you hope to get after college? Imagine you have completed your college degree, and your education and experience have allowed you to obtain the job that you want.
With this job in mind, consider the following list of activities. Which of them are you most likely to be asked to do as part of your new job? Put them in order from most likely to least likely. If you are uncertain, make your best guess based on your current knowledge and experience.
List of activities:
- Solve a problem using algebra, including: analyzing the problem, drawing a diagram, writing an equation, and solving the equation.
- Learn to use a computer system that is unfamiliar to you, and then complete a task on that system.
- Brainstorm a variety of responses to a problem and decide among several solutions, each of which has plusses and minuses.
- Use arithmetic (adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing).
- Simplify a radical.
- Complete an assignment with a team of several people, including: finding a time and place to meet, dividing responsibilities, making sure everyone is completing their part, delivering the final product on time.
Assignment (due midnight, Wednesday, June 20):
Respond to the above activity by leaving a comment in response to this post. Your comment should include all of the following:
- What is your major? What job are you hoping to get after graduation?
- From the list of activities above, give your ranking in order from “most likely to be required on your new job” to “least likely” (you can just list the numbers in order, you do not have to type the description, like this: “My ranking is: 5, 2, 3, 4, 1, 6”).
- Discuss the first item or two on your list. Do you think that this class will help prepare you to complete that task? If so, how? If not, what could be done in this class to help prepare you for that task?
- Discuss the last item or two on your list. Do you think it is important to learn (even if you are not likely to use it at your job)? Why or why not?
Extra Credit. Comment on someone else’s post. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
my major is human services and im not sure what kind of job i want from it but if i had to pick from this list i would say 3,2,4,6,1,5 though im sure math can help me solve math problems they wont help me respond to what other people have to say to me. i dont think Simplifying a radical will ever help me in my job because people problems are not radicals
I agree, simplifying a radical it doesn’t help in my job on daily basis
My major is paralegal and im trying to complete my bachelor degree so i can go to law school. The job I want after finishing my education is be an attorney. I can say that my major thats not require any math only Math 1180 and 1275. If i become one day an attorney i can list this as 6,2,4,3,1,5. I believe that 6,2 can be consider the two most important from the list because as an attorney i may have to supervise any paralegal to make sure everything is good and on time. Not only that, but it also require to know how to uses computer because sometime i may have to do some legal research or complete any form online for any client. On the other hand, i think 1 and 5 is the least important ones because i don’t think as an attorney they simplify radicals or solve any equations. All i need to know from math is how to add, subtract, divided and multiply because i need to calculate the fee that i would charge clients; if i become an attorney one day:).
Sharess- My major is Human Services and after graduation I plan to become a parole officer after I complete 2 years of law enforcement either as a Corrections Officer or the NYPD. I would list the numbers as 2,5,3,4,1,6. I would not have to solve any algebra problems with my future career, however I would definitely have to learn to use a computer system that is unfamiliar to me. This class may help me with the computer portion if I have to use formulas for certain things which actually may be some sort of algebra. I believe radicals are important to learn just because it doesn’t hurt to have extra knowledge. Doing group work will help because it teaches someone like myself who likes to work alone to open up to working with and accepting others opinions on things.
Great major I completely agree having a little extra knowledge never hurts and knowing some of the formals might help deal with your case load in the future.
I am a HGMT student. My plans after graduation are to complete a Master degree in Tourism and Travel from NYU and to own and operate a women travel club and to also develop my village in cameroon into a tourism destination. I’ve listed the math activities below as they relate to my industry:
1.Basic math for pricing and sales and financial transactions.
2.Yes, as a travel planner, I will do this task most often.
3. I would have to learn travel software for booking tickets and most likely have to generate reports to calculate sales percentage, revenue and stats.
4. I would use this to weigh out options of which vendors to use and to measure
5. I would most likely use this process to analyze unknown data.
6. I would most likely use to process for presentations, charts and graphs or to show growth in numbers or projected sales
7.Simplify a radical. Not sure about this one?
Hi Chimine!!! You are sure what you want to be after graduation. Congrats! And it is amazing how you have listed some of the activities you will be doing as a Business Travel women and everything is related to Math in one way or the other.
Those are great plans for your future. It is great you can project your future. Math will increase your chances of success. When you can translate real world problems into mathematical equations the problem takes on a new dimension. Math will always be that consent (LCD) in your life that will define you and make you stronger. So, study hard and learn all you can with the goal that one day you may need it!!!
1)My current major is liberal arts and science.The job that I hope to get is a teaching job(either a history or a art teacher)
2)neither of the activities correlate with my career.
3)Even though this class has nothing to do with my major, it will help me think of more ways to solve a problem(A math problem has alot of different ways to solve a problem, and theres always more than way to solve a problem.
4)The 5th activity to me is not significant whether you learn it or not.and I dont think I’ll ever use the last activity during my teaching career.
Hello, I am getting Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management and I work in Hotel Industry over 6 years. Fall 2012 will be my last semester in Cuny, I am very excited and looking forward for having more free time in my life. I can definitely think of numbers such as: 3,2,4,6,1,5. Regarding simplifying a radical it doesn’t help in my job on daily basis. When talking about math I think we use basic math every day. The uses for basic math are obvious; just shopping or balancing a check book. Clearly, each of us needs to be able to do some kind of math. Would you know if someone was giving you correct change when you buy something, that question I would ask myself or how would I know which item was the best buy? In short, we may have to look and find other explanations for some aspects, but everyone should understand basic or not-so-basic math. Good Luck!!!
I agree, i think we all need to at least have a basic understanding of math because we use math everyday. You have a long time working in the industry I’m sure is going be easy for you to find the job you wish within the industry because of the experience you have.
i totally agree with you.. its important to know the basic math. And when i said basic math is to know how to add, subtract, multiply, divided; beacuse they are very essential in our daily life.. Not only that, there’s people out there that sometime give you the wrong change by tricking you. So its important… Nevertheless, percentage is also good to know in order to determined which deal is better to buy…
I am getting my Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management and Tourism. My area of focus is Travel and Tourism. Nevertheless, i haven’t decide yet the job position i want to get after my graduation. (6,3)4,2,1,5. Being a team is a significant part of the Hospitality department. Making groups with students, distributing assignments evenly, work together and being always on time are essential factors.
Spring 2012, i took Sustainable Tourism class and i and (others students) had to figure out the various ways of managing visitors which one of them was to determine carrying capacity that means controlling the numbers of people that travel to a destination which over time can provoke physical and irreversible damage to the island or specific site. This type of problem was presented to us and we had to think of different solutions and ideas of how to promote Sustainability. Number 6 and 3 are prominent activities i see myself performing in my future job position.
I won’t use radicals in my professional life but learning them will definitively be useful to help my future kids with their radical homework; i think…..=-)
I love to travel and I think Sustainable Tourism is only going to become more important — especially since the world population (and number of people able to afford travel) keeps growing! Great example.
My major is Hospitality Management. My plan after graduation is to get a job in a hotel, i would like to start as a front desk agent. I also want to complete a master degree. From the list only numbers 5,6,2,3,4 are going to help me in my future job. I don’t think i ever going to use radicals at my job, but i think is important to have a basic understanding of every topic in math even if we are not going to need it all in the future. I think this class is more like a reminder of all math topics we learned since high school, but for various reasons most of us don’t remember all :(… I think this class may help me with the algebra portion i think we always use algebra not only at work but in our everyday life.
My major is Paralegal/Legal Assistant. I am hoping to have a job working as a paralegal at a law firm in New York.
1-6 2-3 3-2 4-1 5-4 6-5
6 is the first item on my list. Working in a law firm, I will be working with and for people at the law firm, clients, other legal professionals, the courts, and other agencies. This Math class has helped me ask for assistant from other students with the purpose of having the correct answer. I have also gained a new respect for Math and it’s application. I see the world differently and constantly create equations for problems in my life. When we have a problem to do in class, when I am done I ask other students what they have for an answer. If we have the same answer then fine but if different we will compare each other’s work. We had a group exercise in class and I worked in a group of four. We together reasoned the problem out and explained to one another why the answer was correct. These skills of communicating with others are necessary in my line of work in investigating legal issues and determining remedies.
The last item on my list is 5. There is a possibility that I may have to simplify a radical in a case I am working on. I feel it is important to learn how to simplify radicals in that I never know when I will need that skill for a task. Math also allows me to think abstract about problems that may be put in mathematic equations. I like to think of Math problems as illusions that have to be unraveled and reformed to my reality. Once placed in a form I can relate to, then I can apply operations to extract information.
Shardae Sales
My major is Human Service ,I want to be a second grade teacher and math will help me in my career path.
463125 would be my list of thing I would most likely use. Using arithemetis is something i would be teaching in my second grade class ,yes it would advantage what I already been taught thought out my childhood math classes.The one i mostly likely wont use is simplify radical I wont come across the teacher younger children ,but i do believe it will help me understand the whole fundemental of math.
Rose-Mick September
Bachelor of Technology Hospitality Management, Focus in Culinary Art Graduated Spring 12′
Fall 12′ Master of Science Integrated Marketing Communication and Master of Business Business Administration
Culinary work as a marketer/sales associate at the Holiday Inn Hotel. I have worked in the past, in numerous kitchens as a line cook and pastry cook. In the future ideally my perfect job title would be the Director of of Marketing for a Food and Beverage firm/company/hotel/corporate kitchen or resort.
My ranking would be 6,3,4,2,1,5.
The reason why 6 as most likely is because as a director/manager I would be in charge of a staff, which will include setting up meetings/rooms with time, date, location etc. Being responsible for my team, coming up with new ideas for the company, taking charge and falling through with my tasks. I choice “3” second because the beside number six brainstorming for new ideas, techniques, menus, promotions, will be a major and important job description.
I do believe that this class will help gear me into the path I desire. There are many foundation which statistic has that will tie in the hospitality/management industry. Figuring out the probability that I will see a conference room each day of the week, require the knowledge of statistic formulas, followed by many other scenarios.
The last two numbers on my list was 1 and 5. Although these too are at the end of the list they are just as valuable as the others. While they may not be a everyday duty, they will be apply into my field in a variety of ways for events.
My major is human service; the job I hope to get when I graduate is a child advocate for children with physical and mental disabilities. My ranking: 6, 3, 2 ,1 ,4 ,5. The first item on my ranking is 6 which require basically completing a task with teamwork. This class is helping me to complete item 6 because we have in class group work which allows everyone to contribute to a final product, just as in human service several individuals work as a team to meet a client’s needs. Item 5 my last number in ranking is important to learn because it show a simple way to break down a number, which may be helpful when dealing with a large sum of people.
I have to say that I agree with everything that Kameela says here.
The group projects have been beneficial without being too much of a burden (worrying about how another group member will affect my grade)
My major is human services. After graduation I hope to get a job as a case manager. I believe that a case manager job will prepare me for the non-profit organization that I will have in the future. As case manager I can foresee using number 2,3,4 and 5. Managing a non-profit organization I foresee using 2,3,4,5, and 6. Technology is always changing usually making tasks easier to complete. Even if it just means you have to learn an up-graded version of a program, if you want to keep a job computers are pretty much inevitable for everyone to have to use. Arithmetic is pretty much unavoidable for everyone as well even if it you are just simply counting the money in your pay check.
From my previous experience of managing a business there is always a point where a product or service must be delivered. You have to have the skills to motivate a team of people to work with you at some point in a business. A time and place may be as simple as meeting at your office. Dividing responsibilities among team players (or sometimes individuals) and making sure everyone is completing their task can be all in a days work for a manager.
My major is Human Services. Though I’m not sure what kind of job I will get upon graduation, I am hoping to work in a counseling capacity. I have a long way to go as I’m just getting my Associates.
I believe that the order of my list would be: 4-2-3-6-1-5.
Using arithmetic is a given as everyone needs to use it on a daily basis. I need to be able to know how much money I have on my metro card and also in order to make a budget for myself and keep to it.
The second one that I picked was to learn a computer system that I’ll have to work with. From interning the past two semesters, I’m already aware just how different systems are depending on the task at hand and the professional’s department of service. Note taking and writing is an important part of human services and computers are involved in that.
I’m not sure what this class is preparing me for as I’m aware that without using math on a daily basis the knowledge fades quickly. I can say that I am learning more than I have in the past and that I’m retaining more in my memory because of the way its being taught.
I have no idea how simplifying a radical will come into play within my profession but I look at it as something that can come in handy at some point in my life. Whether it is to arrange an aparment, know how much paint I need for a room, or what size cage is best for children (given their activity level and size), math is something that I need to know, and radicals are part of that.
🙂
My major is human services and I’m not sure what job I’ll get after graduation but I would like to go into social working. My ranking would be 3,2,6,4,1,4. The first item on the list is definitely discussed in class because we’ve worked with a lot of algebra. The second item is not part of my career even though I may come across a computer and will be expected to know how to use it. The third is the most useful because in social working, problems will always arise and I will need the right skills to tackle each problem that comes my way. Simplifying a radical, I don’t think I’ll ever do this in my career but maybe if I have kids they’ll need help with their homework. Also completing an assignment with a group of people could be my wedding, where we’ll have to work together combining ideas from both families.
Congratulations on your wedding! From my own experience, planning a wedding definitely involved a lot of working with other people — especially your fiancee, but also both families — and certainly some compromise (since everyone seems to have opinions about what a perfect wedding should be). Best of luck — I’m sure it will be beautiful.
Congrats! It has never been an easy task for me when it comes to working with people. Also in a relationship takes a great deal of compromise. Having to deal with a whole other personality in general is a tough job. We have to know what to subtract and add in a relationship. Its all about moderation, and consideration I guess.
My major is Dental Hygiene, in the future I want to become a Dentist , but for now the job I want is to be a Dental assistant..
My ranking is: 4,6,2,1,3,5….
I definitely think this class will help me prepare for my future… One reason is because this is the only math class I have to take in order to get my associate for now.. It will also help me in my every day life special with Time management..
I think it is important to learn. Learning doesn’t occupied space, and the more you know the better… We never know if one day in the future, we’ll use what we have learned from the past..
Hey!
I’m so glad you are planning on becoming a dentist too! I think the most important part of this class that we are definitely going to use in dental school is solving equations and making conversions. I wish you the best of luck future colleague 🙂
My major at City Tech is Restorative Dentistry. My plan is to go to Dental School after completing my bachelor in Biology. Currently I work as a dental tech, but I’m trying to get a better position, such as computerized design.
My ranking is 2,4,6,1,3,5.
This class will not just help me prepare for a better job but other math courses I’ll be taking during my entire career.
I can relate to 2 because there is a wide variety of design systems in dentistry, so knowing how to calculate formulas or do conversion is a great skill required for this type of job. Also, arithmetic is essential for me because as a technician, we deal with a lot of measurements, temperatures , weighting materials, finding proportions,etc.
I’m an Accounting major, and after graduation, I plan on getting my CPA and becoming a certified Accountant. My ranking is: 4,2,6,3,1,5. This class will help prepare me to complete my tasks as an Accountant, using simple arithmetic. But solving radicals will not. I wouldn’t say that solving radicals is not important to learn, it’s just not important to me for the career path I plan on choosing.
Kelly Ellis-
My major is Paralegal Studies, after graduation I plan on working at a large law firm that consists of different types of laws that they cover at the firm so I an be well rounded. Because of the different issues that can be brought to a firm by clients I would say from greatest to least I would be using 3,6,4,1,2,5. The reason why I felt 3 and 6 were most likely to be used because usually we have to brainstorm about a solution before proceeding then usually what happens is that we would give people a time to complete assignments and more. I felt 2 and 5 was least likely, not to say that I don’t need it because I do. When it comes to working with computers it is important to know this because most of the time firms have different software and we always have to update the laws. As for radicals even though it is least likely I still feel it is a good thing to know.
My major is Legal Studies and my plans are to be a lawyer. If perhaps I have obtained that the most likely task that would be required on my new job to least likely task I would have to do is 3,6,2,4,5,1. I believe that this class would help me in completing this task 3 because , we are also learning how to solve problems in groups and prepares us for dealing with people and their ideas of how they think a problem should be solved and that there are different solutions to one problem. The least likely is task1. I feel I need to learn it even if I think it is not necessary because in law there is Maths involved and also for the future incase I have to be part of a competition that involves Maths or even to help my daughter with her homework.