The Last Poster Wins! [v22]

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Mm I'm glad we aren't forced to do maths here. Unless your job will involve it, you don't have to do it at university. There are no general subjects that everyone has to do (that's what high school is for). Although some unis are trying to follow the American model more where you do a more general first year but most people agree that's a bad idea.

I don't get why they push stem either since there are very very few jobs in science and pure maths. There would be more in technology, but even engineering has a shortage of jobs here at the moment. It's very dumb to tell kids to do those subjects.

[Neo Emolga]

Mm I'm glad we aren't forced to do maths here. Unless your job will involve it, you don't have to do it at university. There are no general subjects that everyone has to do (that's what high school is for). Although some unis are trying to follow the American model more where you do a more general first year but most people agree that's a bad idea.

I don't get why they push stem either since there are very very few jobs in science and pure maths. There would be more in technology, but even engineering has a shortage of jobs here at the moment. It's very dumb to tell kids to do those subjects.

In the US, you're forced to do maths even in middle school, high school, and most colleges force rather nasty math courses. And just about every standardized test has math and algebra stuff. They definitely try their darnest to get everyone to hate math over here. And in all my years of school, I NEVER once had a single decent math teacher that genuinely knew how to teach the stuff. It was always "oh here's a problem, let me do it, hey I did it, screw you, I'm not going to tell you how in a way real people can understand." I was always wanting for the day that hopefully luck and chance would finally land me with someone decent after so many years. Hell no. Math teachers essentially just administered the tests. YOU were expected to self-teach and get tutors to help you in order to survive.

I agree, the generalized first year of college is useless. I had to take electives in certain areas and I got no benefit out of that. Thankfully in grad school, you take what you're majoring in and that's IT. None of this "oh you have to take a sociology course and a biology course and a that-and-that course well... just because." All it did was pad the number of expensive credits you have to pay for.

STEM fields are only good if there's the promise of a job at the end, which there totally isn't around here. Major in what you want and what you're good at, because the percentage of people that actually get a job in their field of study is quite low and generally experience with a skill, tradecraft, or specialty is more valuable. If you're not good with (or just don't like) STEM fields and the nightmare math package that comes with them, just stay away from them.

And you know, vocational school is not a horrible way to go in life either and they definitely don't emphasize that enough. Some of those jobs pay darn well and if you don't mind working with your hands, it's totally an option.

[Chakramaster]

Yeah I really wish it weren't all about the math classes. I'd love to just take more electives. Give classes to learn Japanese and I'd happily jump on that xD. I've never been good at math or history. Science was always the better subject. Well that and technology.

[Chakramaster]

Jobs are tough to come by today though. The one I have (while what I do right now is really keeping more stress on me than I'd like), was just real super luck when I applied. Some you can have a great degree and have all the qualifications and still be turned down. Some people are "over qualified" and they don't want you because of that. That's pretty harsh too. With any luck, in the coming weeks, I may be able to get on my old team again. I'd easily call that a promotion from what all I deal with right now xD

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Trade school is actually a great option here! It's become a thing where most people go to uni cos it's expected, but plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc. all make heaps of money here! The only issue with those is your body can get tired out so it may not be as long a career as if you're just sitting in an office.

I hope you manage to get on your old team Chakra! Your work sounds pretty crazy!

[Chakramaster]

I hope you manage to get on your old team Chakra! Your work sounds pretty crazy!

Thanks Sarah! I appreciate that. Best thing about it is I'd get weekends off. Today....ugh it's been so awful at work. It's like nonstop because the managers are handling the front properly. I swear it's like they're trying to depend on me alone for the register. So I'm hoping when I talk to my boss again in the coming week that we can shift me over to inventory again. I'll even be mentioning to him about making it so I'm not picked on for a register as backup. Cause I'm about done with it personally.

[Death's Spook]

The really really sad thing about the way math is taught is less that every student has to learn it and more that the way it’s taught freaking sucks.

Done correctly, learning math also helps you learn logic, critical thinking, and creative problem solving. If someone teaches you math correctly, it’s one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring subjects in the world. The problem is that it’s extremely cumulative, so it takes one crappy teacher to screw you over. Exacerbating this is that most math teachers don’t get the sheer intiricacy of what they’re teaching.

[Bulbasaur]

I will be honest, there are some things in math I find interesting, but I can't say I enjoy math as a whole.

[Death's Spook]

i think i am the only pro-math person here

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

i think i am the only pro-math person here

I really enjoyed maths in high school. I had some great teachers (and some awful ones). I definitelyr agree with you that it can be really beautiful and one thing I really like about it is that there is a correct answer! (I thought this was also true for science but half the time things don't work when they're supposed to, so I guess there is a correct answer but we just don't know enough yet to always be able to find it xD). So yeah I can appreciate maths! I find it weird that people are forced to do it after high school though. I understand forcing people to do basic maths maybe, but advanced maths and calculus and stuff in an unrelated course sounds kinda silly.