<p>Our older son is going into his junior year in college. Up to this point, he has considered the math side of his double major to be the path that will most likely lead to his career, with ancient studies providing the satisfaction of pursuing something that has always been of great interest. As early as the second grade he was studying Greek mythology and presenting independent reports to the class. This summer he is teaching World Mythology at an academic summer camp, doing a great job and loving it. He has completed two years of Latin and is signed up for Greek in the fall.</p>
<p>You see where this is headed. Son finds Ancient Studies much more charming than Math. I think that he should follow his passion on the one hand, on the other hand practicality is also important. There is time, as he is only a junior, but he is starting to think about grad school. He seems to me to have to have a talent for education, and we could all see him happily teaching Classics, etc, but…</p>
<p>It is certainly his decision, and we will support him (not financially after college, because we have another son who will be just entering college) in whatever he chooses. Just curious to hear thoughts of those who may have been in similar situations. Thanks!</p>
<p>I actually disagree that mathematics is practical - and I’m a math major myself. Or at least, I wouldn’t say that’s it’s practical in the sense that an engineering or nursing degree is practical, as it wouldn’t directly prepare you for any career besides being a mathematician. Jobs that math majors get, for example actuaries, or jobs in finance, seem to only require strong quantitative skills, which I think can be achieved by just a minor, or even just taking random math classes as electives. Are there any jobs in particular that you’re thinking of that require a math degree as opposed to just strong quantitative skills?</p>
<p>One other thing to consider is that if your son is serious about grad school, he’ll probably need to know many languages. I’m not familiar with humanities, but I think familiarity on an academic level with 8 languages is not uncommon once people get their PhD. And I would think language skills would be as practical, or even more, than a degree in math.</p>
<p>I can see him as a teacher, at least at the high school, and possibly college, level. Anybody know about the chances of getting a teaching job in field related to Amcient Studies?</p>
<p>Very few public schools teach Greek and Latin, but private schools do. If he also can teach math, he could be a great candidate.</p>
<p>Getting a tenure-track position in humanities is incredibly difficult. There’s just too many people looking for too few jobs; and with humanities specifically, PhD’s don’t have good options in industry, compared to business or engineering PhD’s, for example. It’s not a bad idea to go that route, but be prepared for what the situation is like.</p>
<p>I don’t know about the situation in high schools, but note that the process in becoming a high school teacher is very different from becoming a professor. This is actually a good example of a case where having a math major could be helpful, since supposedly math teachers are high in demand. Depending on what state your son wants to teach in though, he might be able to get away with a math minor, a masters degree to get certified in math.</p>
<p>If he wants to go into teaching, being able to teach math should be helpful to him. A high school may have enough student demand for a single section of ancient history for him to teach, but ability to teach math will allow him to fill up the rest of his teaching schedule.</p>
<p>Also, weaving in the history of math into ancient history may be an interesting combination of math and ancient history. Surely, many people associate people like Archimedes, Diophantus, Euclid, Pythagoras, etc. and their ideas with both subjects. There is also philosophy to be studied in that realm.</p>
<p>A Mathematics/Ancient Studies Double Major could very well be an excellent candidate for a teacher at a smaller private high school, due to the variety and diversity of classes he could add to the school’s curriculum. There might only be demand enough for one Latin class and one class in History of Ancient Civilizations, but the school could crow about it to the parents of their prospective students. The remaining classes he would teach could then be math classes, where qualified teachers are often hardest to find.</p>