Careers

« Older Entries

Careers In The Mathematical Sciences: The Role Of The School Counselor

“The more things change, the more they remain the same.” This old cliche seems to have much relevance today as it concerns individuals selecting one of the mathematical sciences, including engineering and computer science, as a career choice. Although there has been an increase in career options in the mathematical sciences due to the recent advances in technology and its applications, the number of individuals selecting a career in this field has changed very little.
Based on research, selecting a career involves a process that includes a person’s background, personal qualities, motivation, and environment (Farmer, 1987). Therefore, if the number of individuals seeking a career in one of the mathematical sciences is to increase, efforts are needed to influence these factors beginning in the early school years. Some statistics that have a bearing on the importance of attracting children to the mathematical sciences include the following:
(a) nearly 75% of tomorrow’s jobs will require the use of computers;
(b) 34% of high-school-age girls reported being advised by a faculty member to not take senior mathematics;
(c) African Americans make up 12% of the population but only 2% of all employed scientists and engineers;
(d) Hispanics comprise 9% of our population but only 2% of the individuals employed in science and engineering,
(e) Native Americans make up .6% of the population but only .5% of all employed scientists and engineers, and
(f) European-American women represent 43% of the population but only 10% of all scientists and engineers (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1999).
Is the problem of a small number of individuals selecting a career in the mathematical sciences caused by a negative attitude toward mathematics or by limited exposure to extracurricular activities in mathematical sciences, or is the problem the result of children lacking career information?
While we started this paper with the cliche that as things change, they remain the same, we believe that this may be the best time ever to encourage young people to select careers in the mathematical sciences.

In large part, this is due to recent changes in the way that the mathematics curriculum is being approached in the United States. The current view of the mathematics paradigm has moved away from a focus on facts and computation to a focus on mathematics as problem-solving. This revised approach to teaching and learning mathematics emphasizes the mental processes involved in doing mathematics and in part focuses on children’s prior knowledge, out-of-school experiences, and informal mathematics knowledge. This provides a much more engaging and interesting approach in the mathematics curriculum. As a result, we are now at a threshold whereby we can engage children in mathematics instruction in a way that encourages them to select one of the mathematical sciences as an occupation.
In order for change to occur, however, several conditions are necessary. First, there must be an increased focus on the paradigm of problem solving in mathematics and a movement away from the traditional curriculum of drill and practice. Second, there needs to be an effort to provide teachers with professional development concerning the goals of instruction, student learning, and their own beliefs about the mathematical sciences. Third, individuals who have a stake in a child’s development need to help reform the current state of low involvement in the mathematical sciences, especially since preparation in mathematics is becoming increasingly important in many professional fields. Major contributors to this effort are school counselors, who are in a unique position to help increase the possibility of students selecting one of the mathematical sciences as a career. The various efforts that can be made in this area are presented below.
Role of the School Counselor
There are two inadvertent biases that may affect students as they think about their potential careers in the mathematical sciences:
1. that careers in mathematics are only for those with outstanding mathematics potential, and
2. that various demographic factors (e.g., gender and ethnicity) predetermine mathematics achievement and appropriate career choice. Counselors can intervene in various ways:
1. They can reduce these inadvertent biases by assisting in maintaining a balance between the mathematical preparation of all students and encouraging only a select few to take higher level mathematics courses (Peterson, 1993).
2. Counselors can assist teachers to critically examine their relations with students and help them provide opportunities for all students in their mathematics courses (Davenport, 1994). This, in turn, can affect student attitudes toward future careers in the mathematical sciences, as well as students’ beliefs regarding their abilities to achieve in mathematics.
3. Counselors can facilitate the infusion of career exploration and knowledge of the mathematical sciences into all course content beginning in kindergarten. Encouraging teachers to provide opportunities for students to increase their awareness of potential careers in mathematics can help reduce the biases which students may have about mathematics careers.
School counselors also can help increase family collaboration by working closely with parents to increase family-school communication, and by providing parents with the skills and attitudes necessary to encourage their children to make appropriate career choices. Parents’ beliefs about mathematics influence children’s beliefs. For example, parents with mathematics-related anxiety who are working with their children on mathematics homework will directly impact the comfort level of their children toward mathematics, and thus toward a career in the mathematical sciences.

custom research paper

Related Role Of Computers In Science And Technology Articles

Tags:

Computer Science Careers

Top Five Computer Science Careers

Careers in computer science aren’t hard to find. There are wide ranges of specialties in computer science to choose from. The key to finding the perfect computer science career is to narrow the individual specialties down to the ones that are the fastest-growing, will allow room for you to grow in that career and, of course, you may want to check out the salary statistics for each of the jobs.

For instance, take a look at the job description and salary statistics for a systems analyst. A systems analyst has a wide variety of responsibilities including researching and recommending software and system choices to meet the requirements of other businesses. Systems analysts communicate with their customers about what the customers’ requirements are for a particular project. They meet with designers and developers that are working on the software to make sure it is up to the customer’s standards.

With the help of testers, systems analysts use sample data to perform tests on it to make sure it is working properly and then the systems analysts enable the new systems. On average in the United States, a systems analyst makes anywhere from ,000 to ,000 a year.

Another top computer science career is a software engineer. A software engineer applies the techniques and procedures that are used in the design, development, testing and evaluation of the software and systems that allow computers to run correctly. The average salary of a software engineer in the U.S. is ,000 a year.

Computer programmers are the brains behind the software. Computer programmers’ job duties involve writing the software; testing the software for glitches and then debugging the software; and also maintaining the computer programs so that they run correctly. Typically, depending on the programmer’s employer and what type of programming is being done, the salary of a computer programmer can range anywhere from ,000 to 0,000 a year.

Next, we’ll take a look at network systems analyst. A network systems analyst does the designing, evaluating, testing, and maintaining of a variety of different networks, including WANS, LANS, intranets, wireless systems, etc. The average yearly income of a network systems analyst is ,000.

The last computer science career we’ll talk about today is the database administrator. A database administrator is responsible for the recoverability of the database such as creating and testing the Backups. They are also responsible for verifying the integrity of the database and for making sure the database is secure. Database administrators also have to make sure the availability and performance of the database are at its maximum and they help the programmers and the engineers with development and testing support. Although the database administrator is responsible for all these things, they also have an array of other duties depending on their particular job description, employer, etc. The annual salary of a database administrator ranges from ,000 to ,000. However, the median annual salary in the U.S. for a database administrator is ,000.

Keep in mind, these are just five of the computer science careers. There are many more careers in computer science with annual incomes and responsibilities within the same range as those listed.

Tags:

Careers: Computer Science Engineering, Architecture, Leather Technology

The growing careers these days are computer in science engineering, which deals with usage of mathematical skills and applications, career as architecture, which displays designer skills and career in leather technology which deals with basic inclination towards the profession. These careers are growing rapidly and have lot of job opportunities.

Career in computer science engineering:

Computers have become the life line of the new world. It has dominated almost all career fields. Due to growth in information technology the computer industry has flourished tremendously and has been a great achievement for the economy of India and globally. Computer science engineering has grown as a career option. They apply their knowledge of mathematics and science and design various computers.

They are divided in to two groups: those who deal with computer equipment are called hardware engineers, and those who deal with computer programmes are called software engineers. t is these computer engineers who design software and hard ware computer-based systems for embedded micro controllers, designing – VLSI chips, analog sensors, mixed signal circuit boards and operating systems.

Career in architecture:

Every country is determined by its economy and its physical appearance, which makes it a famous tourism spot and eventually brings in money. Architecture therefore is an important career which plays an important role. Now focus is given to luxury and comfort than basic shelter and homing. This has made architecture a high in demand.

Every building, theatre, house or halls are designed in a beautiful manner which requires the expertise thinking and skills of architectures.

Career in leather technology:

Leather technology is one of the most lucrative career options these days. Earlier this industry was not given much importance and people were appointed based on their experience and not formal training. But now since it’s in demand and growing forcefully, there are many institutes and colleges providing diplomas and degrees in this field. Indian leather industry is the fourth largest export industry in the world. This makes it obvious that one who gets into this profession has sure shot success and a handsome pay. Leather wear constitutes a variety of products ranging from footwear and accessories like belts, bags, purses and caps to toys, upholstery, baggage, musical instruments, garment tags, gift items etc.

A career in leather technology or architecture or computer science engineering all serve the same purpose of securing a future and contributing in the prosperity of a country as well as the individual involved.

Find More Role Of Computers In Science And Technology Articles

Tags: