Hi MIF;

I will post this to all the posters who over the last 4 weeks have proclaimed their hatred of math. All of them sure that they will never need it in their future jobs.

There was one in particular who seemed to have a natural gift. With a little prodding he answered his own questions. Picked it up right away. I asked him if he would like to pursue a career in math. He said after these finals he never was going to do math ever again. He hated it that much, I said that too...

I think when members of the younger generation declare a hatred for math, they truly don't understand how whether they like it or not, they will be using math in every aspect of their life. I can't think of any professions that don't rely on math to some degree on a day to day basis. Just because you aren't going to become a statistician doesn't mean you escape the fundamentals! There were times in my childhood when I probably cursed math to some degree but just out of ignorance and immaturity. They'll eventually discover it goes far beyond the work place, too. I find myself using math non-stop even for personal hobbies I never imagined would require understanding deeper mathematical concepts (like fly fishing and custom rod building).

They'll understand one day! Neat article either way.