We have all been there … sitting in a mathematics class wondering “will this knowledge ever actually be useful?” As a teacher, I have been asked the question more times than I can remember.
Russell Lim – High School Mathematics Teacher, Melbourne, Australia
The title of this editorial is taken from Mr. Lim’s submission to Medium. I encourage you to read his article and enjoy the way he approaches this topic. Please do not write to tell me about sample size, randomness, population and the correct way to perform a statistical test. Just enjoy the information he gathered in his survey to get a picture of what he is trying to show: math is valuable!
Also know that Mr. Lim states: “Of course the results vary greatly depending on the individual.” For example, I took the survey and selected my profession as Project Manager (PM). The majority of my jobs have been as a PM but I have also done software development and software quality assurance, and served as a Space Shuttle Guidance, Navigation, And Control flight controller and an Air Force Communications Officer. I have used almost all of the mathematics I learned in high school, undergraduate and graduate school throughout my career. Enjoy the article!
I also encourage you to view the interactive version of the chart which allows you to filter by certain occupations and fields of study, and take the survey.
Lim, Russell. “What Are The Most Useful (And Useless) Topics In High School Math?” 2022. Medium. https://www.cantorsparadise.com/what-are-the-most-useful-and-useless-topics-in-high-school-math-18cf2cc6ff5f#c7f8.
Mathematical Mysteries 