Random School/Work-Venting Post

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crap. a storm cancelled classes yesterday, so now my test is pushed to tomorrow, now i have 2 tests one after the other. yerg.

 

Argh! 9 exams to do 7 days! Noooo!

 

failed both tests today. why do i even bother.

 

Has anyone else noticed how irrelevant some of the crap taught in school is. Maths B is probably the worst. Of all my family and friends who are out in the work place, none of them have used anything to do with derivations, integrations, quadratics etc. Why bother teaching something that will only be used in a handful of careers to everyone? Why cant they just have it as a part of the Uni courses for the people who want to do the career where it would be used instead of forcing it on everyone? Still, this may only be the dodgy Queensland education system.

 

TBA, maybe you should check the Pirate Map thread. You'll understand that every bit of maths is useful in some way or another. You eventually discover how to apply these lessons to real life and you'll be thankful you took them.

 

I am not denying that every piece of maths is useful, I am just stating that that some areas that are taught apply to only a small amount of careers compared to others. That statistical analysis stuff in the pirate map thread is extremely usefel as most businesses would go bust without it (or if you want to use it to find the chances of getting a whole map but I prefer to avoid those kind of scams all together)
I would much rather spend my maths lesson learning stats and other business related maths like Maths A but I'll admit that I got suckered. The first semester was interesting and useful in Maths B but then the boring and not as useful stuff came in, and by that time it was too late to switch. So here I am a year later still kicking myself for not changing classes.

I'll put a quick question out to you Abomination: How much of the maths that you learnt at school have you used in your working life?

 

@TBA, that you don't plan to use it, doesn't mean that it isn't important to learn. Take algebra for example, hardly anybody uses it directly, but it is very important instrument for the ability to reason.

@edit:
Come on, don't learn stuff because you need it in your future career. Learn stuff to push the envelope! As PZ Myers says it in the link I just gave you:

 

@TBA: Maybe it's that most of the teachers mainly teach you stuff that enabled them to become teachers.

 

You want a solid piece of math uselessness? Grab the books of enriched secondary five maths (or 536). Also grab a jumbo-sized pack of headache busters and enjoy.

 

@Iku-Turso - thats probably the truth

@Morgoth - I know general algebra is not useless as I will definitely need it for my multi-media/IT degree that I am trying to get into next year. Things like logarithms seem pretty pointless to me (but that may be because my teacher never put them into a practical sense)

That aside, we have started statisical and financial analysis in maths today, finally something that can be used pretty much everywhere.

 

Well, being a financial advisor I'd say quite a bit, at least from the statistical side of things. I understand a fair amount of geometry won't be used in my working life but I have found that maths has helped me extremely in other ways. School isn't just about preparing you for work, it's about preparing you for life. I had the exact same opinion as you did when I was your age, and now looking back on it I realise that it has helped me, despite not thinking so when I was learning it.

 

I use heaps of the maths I learnt at school. Well, maybe not the imaginary numbers in calculus, but everything else I have.

 

The thing about learning all that stuff in school that seemed so pointless back then is that way back then you didn't know what you'd need and what you wouldn't.

I foolishly had the idea that I'd never need to study maths, since whatever I would be doing would concern maths as little as possible. Wrong!

I had almost a 180 degree change of hearts with my studies, and now that lack of studying maths might hit me in the behind with unnecessary and unpleasant force. Wish I would've been wiser back then, but all I can do now is to try to make up for my time and study them maths that I'll probably need as hard as I can.

One might concider education as something that helps you expect the unexpected. You won't know what's necessary and what isn't, and when it hits you in the face, or the other end, it might already be too late. This applies to information in work as well. Info should be spread as openly as possible, and not be held back on the basis that "they probably won't need to know, so let's not bother to tell them".

 

if i ever have to use the econometrics that i'm not really learning now, i think i may end up killing someone.

 

Study is depriving me of anime time...so sad. I have to wait three more weeks before my friend will lend me Evangelion.

 

Hmmm...I have a small thing to vent about. But first, you must know the situation...it was already described in the FAI:

Yeah...so as it turns out, those "several" computers is actually 2, the 50 inch plasma is now a 60 inch plasma screen, but that means we will have to pitch in $15-$20 each for it, and there a good chance it won't have a cable/satellite connection. Oh, and if the other shifts don't do something nice (i.e. our shift is getting the TV), then the plant manager (the *big* boss), isn't going to let us buy the TV because, "3rd shift's generosity will reflect poorly on the other shifts..." The other shifts can kiss my a$$ if they're too cheap to donate something to benefit everyone. They don't need to go all out on a big screen TV, but they could at least pay for the cable/satellite, or a comfy couch, and I know a few people that would like the coffee maker to be upgraded to an espresso machine...

The other shifts have the power to make the new break room a great place to relax...but knowing how stupid and cheap 2nd and 4th shift is, they'll probably screw things up for us. (1st shift I'm sure will donate something nice/useful.)

 

I'm doing 36 hours in three day - the weekend, 12 hours a day, so it is defetively cutting my spamming time, meuu!

 

After 4 days of boutique work, my feet are killing me.

 

Due to two of our guys being on holidays, the rest of have to bust our asses like never before. I'm doing 15 hours a day until next week. Overtime pays well, at least, and I have like 5 coffee breaks. Still, I won't be crying in my cappucino when this is over.

 

crap. im sleepy, i have a test in energy economics and a presentation in banking tomorrow and the final draft for thesis is due on friday, then there's the defense on tuesday. i hate school.