Education is Underrated

The internet is clogged with social media; facebook, twitter, and blogger may be some of the more popular sites, but they are far from the only ones. These websites thrive on our need to keep up with current events. We're often mired with peoples' spam or stupidity, we're occasionally entertained, and infrequently we read a thought-provoking message. I've been mulling over one such post for the entire summer:

"What is the point in a collegiate education if there aren't any jobs that use it?"

There are a number of issues that are contained within that sentence. First, I can empathize with the thousands of unemployed people (especially during a recession). Many of my peers from the university are either unemployed or underemployed (retail, food service, etc.). I myself spent months applying for hundreds of positions before securing my current job. However, is that the fault of our universities? Is the purpose of our education system to prepare us for the job market?

What part of this question been bothering me? My issue with the statement is that it positions our university system as vocational & technical institutes. This is the same issue I have with people complaining about General Electives courses. The purpose of the liberal arts system is to broaden perspectives while providing a focus on a particular subject. Universities are not designed to provide applicable work experience; they exist to bestow humanity's knowledge and further our enlightenment. Only as a consequent does this knowledge and enlightenment lead to better employees and resumes.

I am in the process of applying to graduate school. While attending UMBC, I took few "applied" mathematics courses. Many of my peers, parents, and professors advised me that the job opportunities lay in computer science, economics, and statistics. The message was clear, people don't need "pure" mathematicians. I graduated three years ago, and I can say now that my advisors were not wrong. To find employment as a mathematician is akin to winning the lottery.

It is no secret that my interests in mathematics have always fallen on the theoretical and logical end of the field. I toyed with the idea of applying for an economics program, and my company reimburses a portion of statistics courses. However, I actually enjoy my vocation as a data analyst, and it is the education that interests me in graduate school. In the end, I decided to apply for an M.S in mathematics. I have no expectations that my studies will become a boon for my career. It does not matter to me that there are no jobs as a mathematician. The point of my continued collegiate education will be to gain enlightenment into a subject in which I am fascinated. I may find employment as a mathematician in the future, but that is not my purpose in applying for graduate school, nor is it the university's responsibility to prepare me, nor is it the job market's duty to ensure that a position is available.

Effin' Classy

When my wife and I decide to do something we do not cut any corners or spare any expenses. [in cooking] For us, the presentation is often just as important as the end result.

This past weekend was my wife and my 1-year anniversary. In addition to going out to 2941, we have been cooking elegant meals throughout the weekend.

One such meal we prepared was Cheese Fondue (prepared in an actual fondue pot), and for dessert we brewed up a fresh coffee dessert (hints of almond, chocolate + whip topping).

Photo Blog: Collage

To celebrate the completion of my photography challenge, I have created a collage of the pictures that were posted to this blog in the past month. The pictures in the collage are posted right-left top-bottom in the way that they were posted throughout the month. Click on the picture to pull up a larger version of the collage.

I have two favorite pictures for the month: Day 13's Margarita picture, and Day 22's picture of the Tysons Corner Metro construction. I would love to hear feedback from others with their opinions as well.

Photo Blog: Day 31

Today is the final day of my '30' day photo blog. For the picture, I thought I would share another celebration that I went to today: my friend Stanton's birthday party. Stanton and Kathryn (his wife) are part of a Couples' Group that my wife and I attend every Wednesday.

Tonight, we met up with the other couples in our group to celebrate with Stanton, and play a few games. Much cake and ice cream was had, and it was nice to see people in a more casual setting than usual. Celebrating is good for the heart, and it was a privilege to be able to share a few hours with another great couple (the others that came too weren't bad either).



This picture was taken in two shots with my Canon XSi and my 28-135mm IS lens.

In regards to the blog, this month has been fun while it lasted, and I have learned a lot of new things in that time. It reinforced some ideas I already had (I really don't take that many portraits), and I was able to branch out a few times and try something different (lighting). However, the biggest photography lesson I learned in the month was that you can't be afraid to crank your settings to get a shot; if you need to turn it up to 1600 ISO do it! Don't be afraid of quality loss, because a crappy picture is better than no picture.

Photo Blog: Day 30

My wife and I pride ourselves with being neat people. We do not like to let our apartment get into disarray, and like to keep up with our laundry and dishes. Perhaps that statement was more of a theory than a reality; today, we officially unpacked from our trip to Washington State. As a reference, we flew out to Spokane for the New Year. Yes, almost six months ago.

The trip to Spokane allowed me to meet many of my wife's relatives for the first time. There were many wonderful moments in the trip, but one that sticks in my mind was the day we met my wife's Aunt Laura (her mother's sister). When I met Laura, I could immediately recognize her; both her featurs and her personality unmistakably similar to her sister (my mother-in-law). Today, we finally unpacked the package Laura sent back with us: heirloom silver. We are (finally) officially home.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm IS lens.

Photo Blog: Day 29

My family has always played board games. Since I can remember, there have always been a plethora of games for me and my siblings to choose from. These games ran the gambit from Monopoly to Starfleet Battles. It should come to no one's surprise that I have continued this habit into my adulthood.

Most of the games in my closet are the fairly common ones: Apples to Apples, Scrabble, [Halo] Risk, etc. While I don't have many games I would consider rare, I have a few gems hidden amongst the reeds: Pimp City (think Monopoly, but with pimps and hoes (yes, it is that good)), Robo Rally (demolition derby meets programming and lasers?), and my wife's favorite: Bitin' Off Headz (dinosaurs bent on suicide).

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm Lens.

Photo Blog: Day 28

It seems only appropriate (and ironic) that the day after I write about rarely taking portrait pictures, I decide to post one. This weekend has many parties in store for us; with a holiday coming up, good weather, and people graduating from high school or college, our days have been planned out for us. Today, we went to the first of such parties: my wife's matron of honor's college graduation.

Picture below is a the above mentioned matron's younger brother, Robby. When I first met Robby, he was only a wee lad, barely 4 feet tall, and a squeeky voice to boot. These days, it seems like every time I see him he's grown another four to six inches. As I get 'older' this seems to be the case more and more frequently; people who I once regarded as young pups are coming of age, and standing on their own. It is a strange time period for me.

This picture was taken with my Canon XSi, and my 28-135mm IS lens.