Mathematicians Need Careers

Mathematicians of course go out into the world and enter employment, in a range of careers which might surprise many. However, it seems to be a characteristic of the breed that they are not always the best at pointing out their own virtues. In 2001 the Mathematics degree programme at Reading began a new module designed to hone its students’ career management skills and their experience of working in teams. This began life as part of a University-wide policy and, to be quite honest, a policy which met with some scepticism and even a measure of outright opposition when it was first proposed. After all, we subject experts knew what was good for the students, didn’t we? However, it has been evident for some time that the things we “know” to be good for student mathematicians are not always held in the same esteem by students. We went ahead with career management skills, and added to it a mathematical part, nothing to do with careers, but which in fact linked rather well with the other half…Career management skills is now part of a Reading University wide policy. It met with initial scepticism and opposition by students and staff. But it did make students ask questions about themselves, the mathematics input and themes provided support...