Over-emphasis on mathematics?

[shadows]

You have to be pretty good to get to that level though, a lot of natural talent and/or some serious hard work.

Wouldn't careers in Medicine, Engineering, Science (particular post doc studies) all require serious hard work as well? Correct me if I'm wrong 

[pi]

Wouldn't careers in Medicine, Engineering, Science (particular post doc studies) all require serious hard work as well? Correct me if I'm wrong 

I'd argue that Med or Engineering would require less natural ability though because they really consist of a mix of lots of different fields.

Can't really talk about Sci as I don't know much about it, but as Maths is a Science in uni I'd assume it requires a fair amount of natural ability too.

[Guest]

Wouldn't careers in Medicine, Engineering, Science (particular post doc studies) all require serious hard work as well? Correct me if I'm wrong 

Yes that's true but there's a slightly different case for actuaries that makes a big difference. Hard and long to explain but basically, you have to pass exams after exams through Actuaries Institute to be accredited. It's the concept of "accreditation" that makes the big difference, as it's more serious by far.

[Russ]

^^
It takes years of study after graduating medical school to be an accredited specialist, it's comparable.

I've heard that mathematicians and actuaries) are actually really well paid, and in very high demand. Job prospects and pay are also set to get better in the future too.   

Yes, absolutely, but look at the job market as a whole, not solely in terms of income. There are ~4000 members of the professional body for actuaries but 90,000 working doctors in Aus. Mathematics is a niche market, healthcare isn't.

[Guest]

Yes, absolutely, but look at the job market as a whole, not solely in terms of income. There are ~4000 members of the professional body for actuaries but 90,000 working doctors in Aus. Mathematics is a niche market, healthcare isn't.

As my maths teacher always tells me, "You won't get money for proving your point these days, if it's maths. The best you can get is having your evidence cited in someone else's work". On the other hand, proving your point in healthcare (finding some sort of evidence that may contribute to some other evidence that may contribute to another factor which somehow contributes to the aim at hand) can get you all the money you need and your name listed in books for all time. Indeed, it's a sad story for mathematics 

[Shenz0r]

I admire Thushan, pi and Shenz0r (all doing med) for their talent all round.

Still not a medical student heheheheh

[Guest]

Still not a medical student heheheheh

Oh lol...UoM...
You'll get there though.

[BigAl]

Well if I graduate in science with maths major, at least I'd like to become a lecturer at uni or something...not a high school teacher (no underestimation) the thing I'm wondering is that what really takes to become a lecturer? I've seen some guys with no titles such as Dr or prof...so do you really need to go into PhD, obtain a title, then start lecturing?

[abeybaby]

Well if I graduate in science with maths major, at least I'd like to become a lecturer at uni or something...not a high school teacher (no underestimation) the thing I'm wondering is that what really takes to become a lecturer? I've seen some guys with no titles such as Dr or prof...so do you really need to go into PhD, obtain a title, then start lecturing?

Not sure what it's like for other degrees, but with mine (Biomed @ Melbourne), the lecturers aren't really dedicated lecturers. They're researchers or clinicians or hospital doctors who just happen to come in and give us some lectures, but none of them are ONLY lecturers

[pi]

^Same

[Professor Polonsky]

Well if I graduate in science with maths major, at least I'd like to become a lecturer at uni or something...not a high school teacher (no underestimation) the thing I'm wondering is that what really takes to become a lecturer? I've seen some guys with no titles such as Dr or prof...so do you really need to go into PhD, obtain a title, then start lecturing?

There are two different type of lecturers.

There are the casual lecturers, whom are paid at a certain rate per course that they take. It pays well, but not amazingly so. It's not a full-time job, you would usually hold another job simultaneously (teaching one course per semester really isn't that big of a load). Usually from the private industry, or retired academics. They are mostly there to ease the teaching load of academics, really.

Then there are your full-time academics, who are also expected to perform research (most of what you do as an academic) and all sorts of (mostly bureaucratic) university tasks. If you're looking to be a full-time lecturer, this is the career path you would take. Barring exceptional circumstances, it requires a PhD.

[appianway]

If anything, I think there's an underemphasis on mathematics, especially because students can graduate from high school without taking any mathematics in year 12.

Math is (of course!) essential for natural science, engineering and commerce. But I think a lot of people underestimate how important math is in many arts disciplines. Statistics is absolutely essential in political science and in many different areas of history. Computational linguistics is also a big field in linguistics (especially with AI). And there are many, many more examples.

On a different note, I would highly suggest taking a programming course as breadth or as an elective at university. I think programming is one of the most important skills to learn and I think that a lot of processes that are done by people today will be automated in 20 years time. Once you learn one programming language, it's easy to learn others. Be the person who can automate things instead of being left behind. And this goes for arts students too - one of my friends did a pretty important history internship over the summer, and despite being a history major, had to code to deal with the database.

[TrueTears]

Well if I graduate in science with maths major, at least I'd like to become a lecturer at uni or something...not a high school teacher (no underestimation) the thing I'm wondering is that what really takes to become a lecturer? I've seen some guys with no titles such as Dr or prof...so do you really need to go into PhD, obtain a title, then start lecturing?

Doesn't take much to become a lecturer, I'm lecturing a few PhD coursework units next year and I'm not even close to getting a "Dr" title.

A/Prof. and Prof. on the other hand are dedicated academics, lecturing isn't their main job, research is. The sad truth is, for most universities, research is the top priority, quality of education is only secondary, hence not much emphasis is placed on who takes "lectures".

[Professor Polonsky]

^ varies a lot between different faculties/universities

[Guest]

Doesn't take much to become a lecturer, I'm lecturing a few PhD coursework units next year and I'm not even close to getting a "Dr" title.

That's because you're TrueTears. That name comes with a title in itself.