OpenLab Assignment 6: What does this have to do with anything?

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:

  1. Solve a problem using algebra, including: analyzing the problem, drawing a diagram, writing an equation, and solving the equation.
  2. Learn to use a computer system that is unfamiliar to you, and then complete a task on that system.
  3. Brainstorm a variety of responses to a problem and decide among several solutions, each of which has plusses and minuses.
  4. Use arithmetic (adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing).
  5. Simplify a radical.
  6. 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, Tuesday, March 27):

Respond to the above activity by leaving a comment in response to this post.  Your comment should include all of the following:

  1. What is your major?  What job are you hoping to get after graduation?
  2. 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”).
  3. 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?
  4. 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?

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29 Responses to OpenLab Assignment 6: What does this have to do with anything?

  1. kaylena17 says:

    1)Major: liberal arts I want to be in the therapist.
    2)1, 2, 5, 2,1, 5
    3) I basically would need to be good with Brainstorming a variety of responses to a problem and decide among several solutions, each of which has plusses and minuses. Because I would deal with people and their problems and how to solve them. This class would help me with some stuff like trying to solve situations.
    4)The last one is important to learn if i dont how can i help others

  2. 1)Liberal Arts, i don’t really have a dream job i just know i wanna work with my hands
    2)3,6,4,2,1,5
    3) Granted “3” and “6” deal less with math and more with adapting to real life situations brainstorming is useful when your presented with a problem that doesn’t have a fixed solution, such as most problems in live. That have unlimited outcomes as well as solutions its all about choosing the best one for your purposes. also working in a group kind of gives you the ability to view a particular situation from a different point of view. Math and well pretty much all other college courses prepare you with this skills so i guess to answer your question , yes this course does provide me with the means to accomplish these goals.
    4)yeah i guess its good to know how to simplify a radical its always good to know miscellaneous things such as these you never really know what it will come in handy and Sh*t i believe its like a condom, I’d rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it.

  3. aboodhoo93 says:

    1. Construction Management. I am hoping to be a construction and or project manager in the construction field.

    2. 6,3,4,2,1,5

    3. I would definitely need to complete an assignment with a team of several people. This will be a major part of my career. This class is helping me prepare for this because a lot of the time we are given worksheets to complete in a group and this strengthens my group work skills.

    4. I think it is important to learn how to simplify a radical. Although it may not assist me in my job, it really opens up my brain and challenges me, which is good.

    • brina92 says:

      I agree not only it involve teamwork, but a lot of math to build and design and stuff. I know someone next yr going for his masters in that. Hope you get it 🙂 Too much math for me!

  4. arielyip says:

    1. My major for now is Liberal Arts, but striving to be in Psychology field.
    2. 6,2,3,1,4,5
    3.#6 is very important I think for every field because for any career, we need to learn how to prioritize our time between play and work. With Psychology clients will be met according to appointment times, thus keeping good track of time is very crucial.
    4. #4,5 is very least of the things I need to acquire to use in my future major because basic arithmetic is needed to divide time up, but to simplify a radical is simply would not be used.

  5. mzraza says:

    1)Liberal Arts as of now, but plan on moving to Education
    2)4,1,3,5,2,6
    3)Well they are on the top of my list because in teaching algebra, all these thing have to be used,. and yes i hope this class is able to help with that, but maybe not as much as I’d like only reason being is the teaching beginner algebra is different then what we are currently learning.
    4)Well even though teachers do work together, they dont really depend on eachother…so thats why it comes last,and well in traditional teaching in nyc public schools you dont really use new technology!
    -Raza,M-

  6. brina92 says:

    1) My major is nursing. I would like to be a RN in a hospital or private practice like a doctor’s office.
    2)6,2,3,4,1,5
    3) As RN most likely I would be working as team with doctors, other nurses, managing them, dividing the load. All to make sure patients have best service. This class could help me when homework due certain time I have to do it, and sometimes in class when we work in groups. It helps me to have good work ethic
    4)Well I think its good to learn to simplify a radical so I can pass this 1275 course, and possibly the nursing entrance exam next year. I really don’t think I’ll be using this math method on my job

    • I agree, its very important to learn how to work in a team… and math will always be apart of everyday life..but as far a radicals go i agree the importance wil be to just pass this class

  7. Andrew Boodhoo says:

    I agree that simplifying a radical will be completely unecessary in your major, however it doesn’t hurt to know it.

  8. perez92 says:

    1.Computer Systems. I am hoping to work in a University or in the police field.
    2. 6,3,2,1,4,5
    3. As an IT i would need to work in a team in order to solve any network/communication or software errors for ex. that there may be.
    4. Once the problem is found i would have to brainstorm in order to see how or what caused the malfunction in the system. Then once the solution is found quickly get into work to solve the error. Math has a lot of things to do in various sections of life. This class might help me by giving me the ability to be able to investigate for more than one solution to a problem.
    5. I don’t think simplifying radicals will do much in my field. Although it is good to know the different types of math that are out there.

    -John Perez

  9. mizzdemy says:

    1) Computer Information Systems (transferring to John Jay where I will take up CIS in Criminal Justice). I plan to go into Computer Forensics.

    2) 2,6,1,3,4,5

    3) #2 fits perfectly for the duties that come w/ being a computer forensics analyst! With this job I will have to learn to use computer software and applications that I have never seen before in my life. I would have to learn how to locate “deleted” files, folders, etc. on a computer/laptops that were “erased.” Math has taught me how to solve multiple problems using more than one method.

    4) #5? It doesn’t seem likely that I’ll run into any radicals in this field since I’m going to be dealing w/ computers. The normal language for a computer is machine language, which is binary (0,1) so anything other than that will more than likely not do. It is important to learn though for other college courses =)

    — Demetria Anderson

  10. 1.Liberal Arts: Transfering to John Jay for Forensic Science/Police Science
    2.My Ranking is: 6,3,4,1,2,5
    3&4.3,6…even though brain storming and working with a team are top of my list for my career i have to complete my masters in forensic science which means caculus 3 and chemistry :/ before i can start working, so i have to learn all the math i can even radicals.

  11. Maisa1491 says:

    1. Nursing; Hoping to become a nurse I want to focus more on Labor & delivery.
    2. 1,3,6,2,4,5
    3. 1,3 because i will probably work with diagrams and charts as a nurse. and getting responses from other people about different solutions.
    4. 4,5 I do not think i will be simplifying a radical whatsoever or using plus minus subtract or divide for my job. simply because i would not want to work with anything that has to do with math. Maybe dosages or something of that nature but nothing extreme.

  12. german822 says:

    1) My major as of right now is Liberal Arts. I don’t know what i want to do with my life, but i think I would be happy acting =)
    2) 3,6,2,4,5,1
    3)Would make sense for me if I would ever land a acting gig mostly requires sitting on a table and discussing your role.
    4) I honestly wouldnt see how this would work for me in my near future, it sucks that I have to sit down and learn something that might not better my future. I mean I don’t see myself building a house or measuring the distance between my house to my school. WHY? because Google was created =).
    Now if math was ever used to in my career it would be used i.e the distance of my face and the camera, the right angle to capture the right emotion and stuff like that.

  13. lucyao says:

    1) Major in Computer engineering, I hoping to work as a IT in a company.
    2) 1 2 5 6
    3)if i don’t use it so i will not know about anything of math, it also helps me to understand stuff in the future.
    4) it will help in my work, i could use those to solve problem when i work. 3 4 i don’t think it will help me alot.

  14. Jesse says:

    1. Computer System – Network Administrator
    2. 2, 6, 4, 1, 5
    3. the class only helps with working in groups when we do group work
    4. i dont think it’s that important to learn, especially with my major but it’s still good to know

    -Jesse Mohammed

  15. jdorismond22 says:

    1) Computer Information Systems.

    2)My ranking is 2,3,6,1,4,5.

    3)This class will help me with brainstorming. Math is a topic that is analyitcal so being able to analyze ideas and gather thoughts based on those ideas, is something I will need to be good at. So this class will help me with that.

    4)All the skills that are taught to me in this course are essential for my career choice.
    Computers and math go hand and hand. Also working together in teams to solve problems. Even something as simple as solving a radical.

  16. Joseortiz says:

    1) My major is Computer Engineering
    2)1,2,4,6,3,5
    3)This class will help me prepare for my job because math is a step by step proccess and my job task will be a step by step proccess also.
    4)It is important to know how to simplify a radical because my job will have to do alot with math and in one of my task i will have to know how ot simplify a radical and knowing won’t hurt anybody.

  17. johnny diaz says:

    1. fashion mkt and management, buyer position
    2. 216345
    3. the computer program i would like to learnto use dosent need much math maybe some decimals and fractions, not sure i think this class already does way more math then i will ever need in my life,no i dont think anything in change the class will help me any further
    4.number 4 will be useful for counting my paychecks not so much #5

  18. cdavis says:

    1) Computer Information Systems, Help Desk
    2)My ranking is: 1,2,3,4,5,6
    3) I don’t see the connection
    4) finding the center radius of a circle. These formulas would probably with video games

  19. qriconyc says:

    1.construction management -work as a construction consultant for big corporations and manage big building projects all over

    2. 6,2,3,4,1,5

    3. The first two i think this class for sure helps me a lot for my field and my task that i shall do when i work math runs the world and math is the answer to everything on our daily basis of life and with my career it wil help in every aspect of it.

    4.The last two i doubt ill use unless i major in math but yes its very important to learn
    the math period because its always helpful on a daily basis

    Rodrigo Rojas

  20. tatiana says:

    1) My intended major is health services administration, i am hoping to work in a hospial such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
    2)2,4,1,3,6,5
    3) I so think that this class will help me learn to use computer sysytems that i am unfamiliar with and complete tasks on them becuase of the the new computer systems that i am using in this class so i can use my experince and knowledge. Also using basic math is always needed and is defintely fundamental to life.
    4) it is always important to learn to work well with other people especially those in your profession, solving a radical is not very important however it is necessary to know the asics because it a basic algerbra, which in my opinion is a neccsity to life

  21. jocelynjv says:

    1) Major : Liberal arts and Science , i intend to go pre-med. I’m hoping to become a Doctor and specialize in .. something, still unsure on what hehe .

    2 ) 6, 3, 2, 1, 4 , 5

    3) I most def believe that number 6 is the most important one on the list for my type of degree. Mostly because working in a health field that means you have to deal with a group of other doctors and nurses to cure and help patients lives. that includes solving problems , and giving specific instructions to each worker what to do in the hospital.

    4) Number 5 would be the least thing i think i would be doing in my health career. I mean, solving radicals wont save a dying patient rushed in the ER!! LOL!!!! Well seeing that radicals are in this course, i guess its important. -_-

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