We learn different subjects at school. There may be a chance that some of these subjects may not have a role to play in our future. However, a few of these subjects may help us further our studies. But there is one subject that we learn, use, and implement daily⏤right from switching off your alarm in the morning to checking your sleep cycles in the evening, our life is filled with, yes, you guessed it, math! 

Although not everyone is interested in pursuing math as a career, studying math in school helps us develop skills that can be used in any career path that we choose. 

Here are some skills that can be developed by studying math:

Analytical Thinking

Analytical thinking refers to the ability of an individual to access some given information and to analyze it to infer the best possible output. As math involves problem solving with the help of equations and conditions, stronger analytical skills are developed while studying math. Analytical thinking as a skill can be taught up to a certain level. However, it is a skill that is acquired through experience in students, and math plays a huge role in building it up. 

Problem Solving

We have been solving math problems since at least grade 1, or maybe even in lower grades than that. The point here is that math takes full credit for developing the skill set of problem solving in particular, as it has been a part of our journey since childhood. Problem solving is an important skill that many organizations look for when hiring a candidate. If we talk about the corporate world, everybody wants to hire people who are good at overcoming roadblocks. Problem solving is a quality of a great employee, an important aspect on which employers base performance reviews and promotions, and is often correlated with salary increases.

Quantitative Reasoning

Exams such as the SAT, GRE, and GMAT are designed to thoroughly test a student’s aptitude. An aptitude test consists mostly of a quantitative aptitude section. If a child has a good command of math, they are likely to be good at quantitative aptitude. A good quantitative aptitude is developed if a student has good math skills.

studying math will make children smarter
Studying math is a step in the right direction to make kids smarter and better at logical reasoning.

Logical Reasoning

Math deals with an umpteen number of statements and their proofs. If mathematicians can’t back up their claims, they won’t be given credit for it. Math also deals with a lot of logical statements and their explanations. With the help of math, we can argue about what can be logically constructive and what can be proven illogical. Logical reasoning makes an individual a good decision-maker. Most world leaders are people with sound logic. They might not be good at math, but math has helped to shape them into logical thinkers.

Time Management

We all learned to tell the time in our math class. Beyond this part of our lives in school, every exam that we’ve taken has a time limit, which could have been a disadvantage. We had to train our minds to complete a given task in a given timeframe. This is also an acquired skill, and math has a huge role to play in it. Calculating the number of questions and how much time we should dedicate to each question also includes math. Time management plays a crucial role in shaping successful individuals. The time management skill of all the stalwarts in any field is always envied. Having a calculative mind also helps in managing our lifestyles and keeps us away from procrastination.

After having mentioned these skills, let’s jump a few years ahead of high school and look at a few of the careers that a student studying math or pursuing math can expect as a career. 

Children studying math can pursue various career paths. They can pursue any of the following fields:

  1. Engineering
  2. Accounts 
  3. Astronomy 
  4. Business management 
  5. Pure sciences like physics, chemistry, and mathematical research
  6. Data science and business analytics
  7. Statistics
  8. Economics
  9. Actuarial science

Children who major in math have a variety of options open to them. Children who have developed logic that is supported by math are also good at languages and communication. Studying math can also help an individual develop an overall “research mindset.” When it comes to music, for instance, most of the classical musicians were exceptional in math. Also, any instrument only sounds harmonious if it is played in  perfect rhythm. A good dancer also has good mathematical skills because rhythm is a set of numbers repeating themselves.6,7

Every sport is also mathematical in nature. The angle at which you kick the ball, the perfect arm rotation for hitting a serve, and the list goes on. A solid foundation in math can help one perform better in sports. 8

Mathematicians have done wonders and have helped us solve problems for ages. Pi  has been discussed by humans for almost 4,000 years, and mathematicians are still working on it. Today’s supercomputers can calculate the value of pi up to trillions of places. Although the math behind pi is ancient, it is still relevant and will be for the foreseeable future.

Math was, is, and will always be eternal, but teaching methods must evolve to meet the needs of individual learners. The way math was taught in the last century will soon be obsolete. We will have sophisticated technology that will make children more efficient and will teach them math ideas in methods that are designed “for” them. There is a wide selection of articles at Byju’s FutureSchool that inspire, motivate, engage, and spark the interest of children in math and help them comprehend the application of math in everyday life. Visit the blog to learn more. 

References:

  1. 10 Reasons Why Math Is Important In Life [Guide + Examples] | Pi Day. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.piday.org/10-reasons-why-math-is-important-in-life/ 
  2. 6 Reasons to Study Mathematics. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.phdstudies.com/article/6-reasons-to-study-mathematics/ 
  3. Your Child’s Mathematical Mind | Scholastic | Parents. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/creativity-and-critical-thinking/learning-skills-for-kids/your-childs-mathematical-mind.html 
  4. How is Mathematics Used in Music and Dance. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.byjusfutureschool.com/blog/how-is-mathematics-used-in-music-and-dance-2/ 
  5. Where Can Math take me? | Mathematics. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://math.as.uky.edu/where-can-math-take-me 
  6. How Learning Math can Help Your Child Dance Better. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://www.byjusfutureschool.com/blog/math-and-dance/ 
  7. Archibald, R. C. (1924). Mathematicians and Music. The American Mathematical Monthly, 31(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.2307/2298868 
  8. Learn the Role of Maths in Sport | Importance of Maths. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.superprof.co.in/blog/maths-teacher-for-sports/ 

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