Fun Things To Do With a Math Or Science Degree?

bxwatso writes "My niece just took the ACT and got a perfect score on the math section. 25 years ago, when I took the test, the kids who aced the math section were pretty special. Her score, combined with straight A's so far in high school, suggest to me that she might be able to go to a top university (MIT?) based on her math aptitude. The rub is that she doesn't like math or science, even though she finds them easy. She doesn't want to be an engineer or scientist. I thought the folks here would be a great group to ask: What are some creative, not too nerdy professions that nonetheless require a talent for math, engineering, or science?"

Comments

but is she perty?

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First. She's a girl. So. Duh. Of course she's not going to like science/math. Girls like that are one in a million, regardless of how they test. Obviously she's intelligent, but that isn't necessarily going to help her much in life. You need a goal first before you can use your brain to get you there. And some goals just don't require much brains. In a lot of fields following the orders of your supervisor without hesitancy or question and not getting too bored with drudgery, the tasks that the higher ups don't want to do, is a far more important qualification. The vast majority of jobs in the world are shit jobs, no matter how highly paid. And the sooner she accepts that fact the better off she'll be. Better to work as a prostitute at night to pay the bills and pursue her real interests, if she ever has any, in her spare time.

Maybe what she's really meant for is mathematically advanced fellatio techniques (you could help with that maybe) or cooking or dressmaking or interior design or acting. Girls are just not like us. They don't usually share our interests no matter how smart they are. At uni I knew a pretty physics major (I kid you not), but what she really wanted to do was make clothes. Only she didn't realize that until she made her first dress about 3/4 through her degree. Maybe because she was smart and no one pushed her in such a girly direction. I don't think it ever occurred to her that she would actually like that sort of thing. So she finished her degree and then went back to school to get a degree in fashion design. Then she started making clothes and stuck with that for the rest of her life.

Think of it this way. Little girls play with dolls. Little boys play with tech stuff: gadgets and guns and cars, and even robots if they're lucky. And that's what most of us end up doing as adults too. I can only envy that guy who works in that MIT Robotics lab. That was my dream as a kid and as I near 40 I still can't think of anything I'd rather be doing. Argue all you want about nature vs. nurture. In the end it just doesn't matter. Most girls end up with girly interests. She will too. So think of a profession that girls tend to actually like. Or she will never stick with it or if she does she will eventually grow to hate it. The fact is that, for a girl, being pretty is WAY, WAY, WAY more important than being smart. Actually it's true for guys too, but women tend to get more enjoyment from the social aspects of life. And looks matter more for that. Also girls tend to have these weird states called "emotions". Never could figure out what those were... But it tends to make them kind of unreliable and unpredictable and, well, moody.

Actually, having given this a bit more thought, I think the secret is to decide whether she is a girly girl or more of a tomboy. If she's an ultra-feminine girly girl forget about any male dominated field. She will HATE it. Utterly. And even if she is a tomboy and even if she initially likes [instert male dominated field] she will probably eventually grow to hate it as well. Only if she is truly indistinguishable from a male is she likely to be a good candidate for a tech profession. Otherwise that estrogen will eventually get the best of her. And she will go back to the pink frilly dresses and talking about her "feelings" and giggling while talking to her friends on her cell phone.