<p>Even if he were to decide to become a math teacher–which is an essential and honorable profession–he would have very good chances of securing a full-time job. Math teachers are hard to find.</p>
<p>Speaking of higher math, you don’t really have 42,000 posts, do you mom2collegekids?</p>
<p>Dang! Is that all I have? I need to stay out of the Parent Cafe. ;)</p>
<p>Periwinkle is right that good math teachers are hard to find. However, the level of math taught in K-12 doesn’t require someone who majors in Pure Math. Most high schools don’t go beyond the equivalent of lower division math.</p>
<p>Here is a math major degree program for those intending to go into high school teaching, for those who want to know what types of things future high school math teachers may want to study in college:</p>
<p>m2ck does have 42k+ posts. I’ve read many of them. :)</p>
<p>To the best of my knowledge, your son is doing very well. A 3.6 at a fancy schmancy college in CT is very respectable, especially in more difficult majors such as mathematics.</p>
<p>While I am more of an applied math/statistics major, I know for a fact that companies enjoy hiring math majors for their problem solving abilities. Many top students with more technical/mathematical majors end up working in finance for this reason.</p>
<p>As for picking non-technical distribution requirements, that’s the point of what are essentially electives. There is a good chance that his non-major classes and activities could help land him a good job in a field/industry that he enjoys.</p>
<p>I understand your concern about the underage drinking, but I have a hard time seeing it as a major issue provided that he stays in control and doesn’t get disciplinary actions as a result of said drinking. Alcohol is common in many social and semi-professional situations and while it is perfectly acceptable not to drink, if one decides to drink it’s best that they know their limits.</p>
<p>Yes i think I hear the billy goats too.
Most parents whose children are successful enough so that they are admitted to rigorous & competitive colleges ( by which fancy/schmancy is a casual term for), are astute enough to recognize that in most cases parents are jumping the gun if they panic when hearing typical freshman college statements and behaviors particularly after just a few months.</p>
<p>I started reading this thread due to curiosity over the title -what were these useless classes the student was taking. I have to say I was expecting something completely different. I took a class in college called “The Psychophysiology of Sleep and Dreams”. It was fun and I learned some cool stuff, but it didn’t really direct me toward nor help me with a career. I’m impressed at your son’s math ability and agree with everyone who thinks it can get him far, and also that since he is just a freshman, he will surely expand his choices as his college career progresses. His academic adviser should aassist him with that as well.</p>
<p>My son is an applied math major (junior) and I’m thrilled. His changes of getting a job as an actuary or statistician are excellent. He loves what he’s studying. Even as an engineer who took a lot of math, I’m blown away by what he’s learning. He keeps trying to explain the stuff to me, and I have no idea what he’s talking about.</p>
<p>Many years ago i thought all mathematicians could do was teach and i did not pursue a degree in pure math. I did ok but i always wonder what if …</p>
<p>In addition to all the positive comments made by previous posters about your son’s major, job opportunities, and grades, I’m sitting here very impressed that he apparently has a social life as well, if he’s spending Christmas break running around with his HS friends.</p>
<p>So he’s a genius in a great field, expanding his horizons, AND he’s a socially adept STEM major!!! Kudos!</p>
<p>I know the drinking concerns you, but many students through a period of experimentation once they are “set free” from the constraints of home. I’d give him some breathing room and see what he’s doing in a year or two. His grades are certainly fine.</p>
<p>I have some sympathy with OP (and was somewhat taken aback by the initial ridicule). S is also a math major. It wasn’t planned, but he found that he enjoyed math so much that he couldn’t stop taking it. He’s always been a science kid, and we both felt that math was isolating, and that he was bit too practical to want to do math research, and likely not brilliant enough to actually make a math contribution. So he’s going to double major. He’s completing his math major this year (he’s a junior), and I’ve definitely come around to realize that, although he will not be a mathematician, a math degree is a good thing to have. Unlike OP’s S, my S did get weary that abstract algebra was “so abstract,” so he definitely isn’t going in that direction. I agree with everyone else that OP has nothing to worry about. I do understand where she is coming from though.</p>
<p>LadyMontague-I think you need to do some research for careers for math majors. Look up actuaries. Right now there is 0% unemployment in the field, high starting salaries with huge growth potential and you don’t need a masters degree. Most of the math majors I know work in either finance or computer programming at some level. None of them are “just math teachers”. Spend some time with Google today.</p>
<p>My antennae are always up a bit when a “new” poster arrives during winter break with a provocative thread. Bored college student at home, perhaps? If not, and this is real, your son will be FINE. Smart kid, great schoool, practical major. A friends son graduated from Yale with a degree in ancient languages or something. Is working as a consultant-- doing very well. Chill.</p>
<p>The understanding of Math, especially at the higher level will definitely translate into many other majors, easily. How about you let him do what he enjoys.</p>
<p>My husband was a “pure” math major. He went on to get a Ph.D. in “pure” math. (The latter was from a fancy schmancy school, but his undergraduate degree was not.) He had expected to become a college professor, but after spending some time in a postdoctoral position, he decided that an academic career was not for him. He discovered that his credentials were in demand in both the financial world and with certain types of defense contractors. He chose one of these fields and has earned a good living for several decades now doing interesting work.</p>
<p>I don’t think you have anything to worry about.</p>
<p>Lady M, the key to a good job after college is often the jobs/internships held during summers and other activities during college. Instead of being critical of your son’s major, encourage him to get a good internship during the summers – especially after his sophomore and junior years. I agree with other posters that a pure math major can lead to many great employment opportunities. </p>
<p>As for his drinking – consider yourself lucky that your son actually told you what he’s doing. There is a big difference between casual drinking on the weekends and becoming an alcoholic. Many college students drink – including those good students in HS who swore they’d never drink. They all get to college and realize that it’s not just the skanky sketchy kids who drink, which is often what it was like in HS. Accept your son’s drinking and just make sure he’s being responsible and that his drinking isn’t affecting his grades. With a 3.6 at an Ivy – trust me and others on CC, your son is doing great.</p>
are astute enough to recognize that in most cases parents are jumping the gun if they panic when hearing typical freshman college statements and behaviors particularly after just a few months.</p>