Fooled by Math

One of the reasons I studied history--or more accurately, anything but math--was the many, many long nights in high school (and a few in college) sweating over math problems that simply couldn't be done. At least by me. Who would want, I reasoned, to go into a field where someone could labor over a problem for days or weeks or months and never, ever come close to a solution?

It turns out, according to "Doing the Math to Find Good Jobs" in the Wall Street Journal, that I had it all backwards. It turns out, in fact, that being a mathematician is the best job in the U.S. because it's steady, lucrative and low stress.

The study, released Tuesday from CareerCast.com, a new job site, evaluates 200 professions to determine the best and worst according to five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress.

According to the study, mathematicians fared best in part because they typically work in favorable conditions -- indoors and in places free of toxic fumes or noise -- unlike those toward the bottom of the list like sewage-plant operator, painter and bricklayer. They also aren't expected to do any heavy lifting, crawling or crouching -- attributes associated with occupations such as firefighter, auto mechanic and plumber.

The study also considers pay, which was determined by measuring each job's median income and growth potential. Mathematicians' annual income was pegged at $94,160.

Other jobs at the top of the study's list include actuary, statistician, biologist, software engineer and computer-systems analyst, historian and sociologist.

I once read that a CEO had one of the shortest tenures of any position, and only slightly less job risk than that of a steeplejack. I do know that when CEOs are given goals to labor over, they are expected to deliver solutions.

I am imagining, instead, an alternative career universe:

Boss: Could you work on this math problem for me?
Mathematician: Sure. I'll start right now.

Three months later. . .

Boss: How's that problem coming?
Mathematician: I'm working really hard at it but can't seem to solve it.
Boss: No problem. Just drop it and try this one instead.
Mathematician: Great. Let's discuss it over coffee.

Now I get it. Thank you, Careercast.com. Where were you 30 years ago when I needed you?

(With apologies to my wife, who is a mathematician, and who knows better. By the way, historian is #7 on the list, a product of being in a trade where, I'm imagining again, if you can't find a solution, you can invent one!)

Posted by Entrepreneur Generations

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