At the same time, we have a runaway hit movie entitled Contacty starring Jodie Foster playing an astronomer devoted to listening for signs of extraterrestrial life in the universe. When she eventually makes contact with another planet, it is through prime numbers. She is least surprised by this, for as she says, "Mathematics is the international language!" While this movie is a fiction, the use of numbers and mathematics as a possible means to communicate with another life form has been present since our earliest days of space exploration.
A third sign of the place of mathematics in our lives is yet another new book; this one entitled The Number Sense: How the Mind Creates Mathematics by Stanislas Dehaene. This is an important study that says we humans can count before we can speak. Dehaene sees math not as something we acquire from someplace else, but something inherent in our mind and brains. He then goes on to show how culture, and especially language, can enhance or impede that mathematical sense.
So, obviously the work of mathematics goes on and there is much, much more to learn. Mathematicians do research in fundamental mathematics or in the application of mathematics to areas such as economics, social science, engineering, and other fields. They try to learn more about what math has to tell us or apply direct mathematical solutions to various fields. All the areas of math are involved, including algebra, geometry, number theories, logic, and topology. Generally, the work of mathematics is either applied or theoretical, but there are many math occupations that blur the distinction between the two.
Essentially, those working in theoretical math occupations are seeking to enhance our understanding of math. Their concern as they work is not how this understanding might affect our lives, but simply to know more. Theoretical mathematicians have given us many great achievements in science and engineering.
Those working in the field of applied mathematics are using their math skills to develop mathematical models or computational methods that can be used to solve real world problems-often in business, government, science, engineering, and a host of other disciplines. Sophisticated advertising agencies are increasingly developing mathematical models to account for the variables that affect a products life cycle and the effects of increased expenditures for advertising or promotion.
Here's a sample job announcement for a mathematician straight out of college who might have some work experience or internship using data management:
Contrary to popular opinion, mathematicians make news, too! In November of 1996, The Boston Globe banner headlined "$200 Million Error-in Your Favor." Burt Feinberg, a mathematician for the Massachusetts State Rating Bureau, a division of the state's Division of Insurance, discovered that consumers had been overcharged since 1991 because of the manner in which industry expenses had been calculated in annual rate cases. As was quoted in the newspapers over the many days this story ran, "This is an extremely complicated, arcane thing. From a consumer's standpoint, it's not an understatement to say that Burt's a hero on this issue."
What's algebra worth? About $200 million to the people of the state of Massachusetts, Mr. Feinberg was profiled as being born to working-class parents in Long Beach, New York, in an environment where playing with numbers was a way of life. "I guess I was just always ahead in math. Mom would feed me simple arithmetic problems. I saw it as fun." His boss reported in the newspapers that in addition to being good at math, Mr. Feinberg was also good at "stepping back and looking at the big picture."
Mathematicians use computers extensively in model making, analyzing and correlating relationships, and simply processing large amounts of data. The point here is that, in addition to your math skills, the most valuable hires in both theoretical and applied math settings are those individuals who have taken the time to learn a number of relevant software packages and may even have been involved in writing programs.
Later in this chapter you'll see that mathematicians have a great variety of job titles. The reason for this is that both theoretical and applied math occurs in many settings. And in these settings mathematicians may be called researchers, analysts, specialists, and titles that are more reflective of the field they are working in, a cryptologist (the branch of mathematics that deals with designs to transmit secret information), an agricultural economist, and an operations researcher are all mathematicians. Name your field!
STATISTICIAN
The Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) is perhaps not an exciting book (except maybe to a career counselor), and while its job descriptions are not written in a very dynamic way, they have proved to be remarkably accurate. Here's the DOTs write-up of statistician.
This dry-as-dust description doesn't begin to suggest the variety, the interest, and the scope of the statisticians' possible work settings. In the government and private sector, statisticians analyze consumer prices, employment patterns, and population trends. The results of their work will have a major impact on public policy, the administration of many social programs, and the practices and policies of many private businesses.
But that's not all. Scientific research of all kinds uses statistical information and the mathematicians who qualify to handle that material. It may be radiocarbon dating of volcanoes, or biochemical work in new drug trials. It could easily involve new agricultural techniques or human behavior studies that help us understand what we do and why we do it.
Private industry may use the work of neither statisticians to ensure they are neither under stocked nor holding too much inventory. Statisticians may be asked to predict consumer behavior, to maintain quality of production, or ensure the viability of retirement investment accounts. The list goes on and on, and the applications of statistical mathematics are too vast for this small career guide.
Once again, however, you can easily see that mathematics and those who practice it are on the cutting edge of the issues and concerns of our society. The search for new and improved medical therapies for cancer, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis, and many of the medical challenges of the twenty-first century is being performed by teams of scientists that include statisticians. Likewise, in our increasing concern for the environment, we need the skill of statisticians to help us understand and see the impact of human behavior on life on this fragile planet.
Big questions such as those listed above occupy the working time of many statisticians. But statisticians are also working in many other fields each day with smaller but equally important questions for marketers (What are people buying at the grocery store?), advertisers (What is America watching on TV this week?), developers (Where should we site this new fast-food franchise?), social scientists (How many emergency room admissions are the result of gang violence?
Ask yourself the following questions to test your interest in being a statistician:
- Are you good at and do you enjoy both math and computers?
- Do you like working with real-life problems?
- Much of the work of the statistician is done as part of a larger group effort. Do you have any experience with and would you enjoy working as part of a team?
- Are you a good listener? Statisticians frequently need to talk with people who don t understands statistics but need statistical information. To understand people's needs, you need to be a good listener.
- How do you feel about a steady diet of new problems, new challenges, and learning new things?
