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.
