Is Studying Mathematics at the University Still Worth It ? Five Reasons to consider.

As a Mathematics Teacher and Researcher, I meet quite a lot of students from various backgrounds, those already enrolled in the university and those still to or planning to. Amongst those already enrolled, we have those offering Math as a Major and those offering other disciplines of STEM that still require some Math courses. As for those still to be enrolled in the University, they are mainly in their final year of secondary school, and what discipline to further studies in is usually something very important to ponder about. Since that choice will determine in the long run their career path. One major question that comes up in our discussions is always to know if studying Math at the University is still worth it.
As citizens of an underdeveloped country, most of them  think that if one studies Math, s/he will end up teaching Math as a profession. As a Math teacher, I can’t really blame them. They believe what they see. It is our duty to show and convince them otherwise. In this post I will try to highlight some of the reasons why I think a degree in Math as a field of study is still a facinating programme to take in these modern days. Here are top five reasons why studying Mathematics is still worth it even though it can be hard and challenging sometimes .

1. Developing your critical and analytical thinking skills.

One can define critical and analytical thinking skill as the ability of a person to think logically, objectively and creatively about issues from different perspectives, to gather information and make decisions effectively, especially with respect to new situations or problems. Analysis and Measure Theory are some of the fundamental courses in Mathematics that an undergraduate student must take. Critical and analytical thinking skills are built up in the student who offers those courses, as all we do in those courses is prove and disprove through the various examples and the proofs of the various Propositions, Lemmas and Theorems provided in the course.  One will hardly find an exercise without a question on proving/showing that a certain statement is true or false. The student is therefore expected to make use of the various theorems and propositions studied in the course to either prove rigourously the veracity of the statement or to provide a counter example to disprove the statement. Whether the proof will be done directly, by contradiction or by construction, one needs to be able to think critically and analyze the hypotheses and the conclusion of the statement properly to be able to come up with a rigourous proof. As the student plays around long enough with such exercises, s/he will develop the critical and analytical thinking skills necessary to embark on future career paths with confidence.

2. Problem solving skill

We live in a world where problem solving is an essential skill that guarantees employability of millennials. In the technology industry, this is quite frequent as one’s degree is not more important than it’s ability to solve problems. In today’s volatile job market, learning mathematics as a major might just be one of your smartest career moves. So what do employers look for? A problem solver. Businesses focus on profitability because profitability leads to long term success; being able to demonstrate creativity through mathematical problem solving, shows potential employers that you have what it takes to be successful within their company. In fact, many companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc  rely on members with strong problem-solving ability for their success. One can hardly be good at problem solving without being able to identify the problem, analyze the given requirements critically, list known facts, define parameters within which a viable solution must exist, propose possible solutions and determine which solution best fits given requirements. A Math student will develop these skills that are essential for both school activities and in our day-to-day life, through some of the courses offered at the undergraduate level. For example, while studying Algebra, Calculus and Differential Equations, students are usually exposed to methods of solutions for various types of problems. Most exercises are on finding the solutions to some problems/equations and the students are required to analyze the problem in-depth (by considering what they are given and what they are looking for ), to break down the mathematical equations step by step (using the methods taught in class) until they reach base level at which they can then come up with solutions to those equations. So, studying Mathematics sharpens critical thinking skills and helps students to develop creative problem-solving abilities. With these skills, you’ll be able to tackle problems in any field, at any point in your life.

3. Mathematics has Real-world applications

Math can help you solve problems in your everyday life, whether it’s figuring out how to budget for an upcoming trip, or minimizing costs of expenditure and maximizing profit from a business. The Math you’ll learn at university will give you a practical problem-solving skill that can be applied to any profession. There are all sorts of jobs in industries from aviation to finance and from healthcare to retail, that require proficiency in mathematics. One of the subfields of Mathematics that is adequate for that is Operations Research, which can be defined as is  the  representation  of  real-world  systems  by  mathematical  models  together with the use of quantitative methods (algorithms) for solving such models, in order to optimize. One of the fast growing field nowadays is Data Science, which uses Machine Learning algorithms that automatically extract valuable information from data to help business managers make better decisions. Those algorithms heavily rely on the following four pillars: 1) Regression ; which require strong background in Linear Algebra and Vector Calculus ; 2) Dimensionality Reduction, which requires knowledge in Analytic Geometry, Probability & Distributions ;  3) Density Estimation, which also requires Analytic Geometry, Probability & Distributions ; 4) Classification, which requires fundamental concepts in Mathematical Optimization and Matrix Decomposition.  Areas of Matematics real-life applications like the above ones are many, from ressource optimization to supply chain management, knowledge in Math helps solve complex problems.

4. Mathematics is at the heart of technological development

With an ever-growing technological society, mathematics not only makes a good major for budding mathematicians but also for those who are simply interested in technologies. Every machine, device and complex system in your home, at work or out on public uses some form of mathematics to function. Also from sending a rocket into space to building a suspension bridge or regulating a room temperature, Differential Equations play a crucial role, as one needs to study the stability properties of the suspension bridge or that of the rocket to be able to control it. So without mathematical theories, Civil Engineers won’t be able to build stable bridges and NASA won’t be able to land a space vehicle on Mars.

5. Mathematics skills help in most careers

The benefits of studying mathematics are both immediate and long-term. You will develop problem-solving skills and critical thinking that are applicable to just about any career, whether it’s in science, engineering, business or art. Most people who study mathematics tend to do well in their chosen fields of work, largely because they have already learned how to tackle challenges effectively and overcome problems. Not only that, but a high level of quantitative literacy is also required in all kinds of businesses today. Even managers in marketing and sales need mathematical knowledge to understand vital statistics such as risk analysis and demand forecasting, even if they don’t get down with Pythagoras theorem or imaginary numbers. Having a background in mathematics gives you a huge advantage in many other career fields. Much of quantitative finance, for example, relies on mathematical skills. Careers outside of finance are no different—both architecture and computer science require strong math backgrounds. Your quantitative reasoning and problem-solving skills gained from studying mathematics at university can help you succeed in almost any job. With an eye on a practical solution to a real-world problem, math is used to understand how things work. Whether it’s creating optimized processes at work or figuring out where you should put your furniture at home, mathematicians hone skills that can help us be more efficient in our daily lives. Some of them even design video games and smartphone apps! Math makes you think logically: The world around us isn’t always as straightforward as we’d like it to be. We’re always looking for clues and using reason to make sense of things around us—and mathematics helps sharpen our ability to make inferences from observations. So to be effective in your job side, some background in math will be very helpful.

You are probably in the middle of making some really hard decisions in your life. You may have to decide between two or more universities that you would like to study at, and one of them might be the mathematics department of your favorite university. Based on the above points, I strongly encourage you to consider a Degree in Math.