Q. I have always been interested in math (my best subject) and I have always thought I wanted to go into business. I am a junior and high school and am now starting to realize I want to choose a career that helps people, not just some pointless career to make a lot of money. Are there business/ finance jobs like this, or are there some that help people and bring good to the world? Thanks
A. Most jobs help people. For example, the janitor that cleans the public restroom or the HVAC repairman that gets the old lady's AC working on the hottest day of the year are bringing good to the world. The accountant that helps a business understand its cash flow and thereby keeps it in business and employing people is certainly helping that company's employees. Engineers that improve the world for people through technology are helping people. Typically people are very happy with their new iPad or that new bridge that cuts their commute in half.
A good career path for someone interested in math would either be business or engineering. Note that an engineer that understand both the technical and business ramifications is particularly invaluable. Accounting is the traditional business / math path for many.
However you specifically asked about finance. There are many types of finance jobs. I would suggest you ask career centers at colleges that interest you - what are the jobs of folks that recently graduated with finance degrees. Then research those jobs and determine if they satisfy your desire to help people. This is my hard suggestion. The rest that follows in to help you determine what your consider is pointless.
Lets use Warren Buffet as an example, many feel he is just a rich guy that made a lot of money. However others feel that he has created / grown many businesses which employ and provide a better life for many people, his stock has provided many with a more secure retirement and he is / will be donating a huge fortune to charity to help many people. In 2008, he (via Bershiere Hathaway) lent certain businesses billions of dollars which allowed them to survive during a period when others had stopped lending, thereby saving thousands of jobs. Does the $40 billion that he will give to charity help more people and bring more good to the world than a teacher that works in a poor school and attempts to educate his classroom of 30 students. Only you can decide if that is a career that you feel is worthwhile or pointless. There is a basic question of which kind of person has helped society more: Henry Ford / Steve Jobs vs Mother Teresa / Martin Luther King. I would argue they both have greatly helped society and you need both in the world. You certainly need the Mother Teresa's to help the truly down and out in society but a Steve Jobs has created both high paying jobs for tens of thousands and brought enjoyment / enhanced productivity (and therefore economic growth) to millions of people.
Finance careers that are useful in forming companies, providing them capital to grow and providing a reasonable return to allow folks to retire comfortably are doing society a major service. However just as there are ministers that have mislead their churches; there are certainly those in finance that repackage "liar loans" into a pretty package to be sold to others which helped create the economic recession that we find ourselves in now.
Let me sit back and make one more comment about business in general. I know a person who has a career in logistics. This requires a mathematical background (he has a masters degree in math) to determine the best methods for shipping. He feels that he is providing a valuable service by insure blood products get to hospitals on time, kids get their Christmas presents on time and businesses can grow and hire more employees because via his work they are able to market to a broader marketplace and reach more customers.
Some people feel that buying a Starbucks coffee provides them significant pleasure. Are the people that work at Starbucks helping people or are they just in pointless jobs?
How to interview a sports team?
Q. I'm interview a sports team for the first time soon. I have no experience interviewing a sports team or in the field of journalism. Writing an article in the "sports" category is something that is completely foreign to me.
*I'm interview a boating team competing at a junior regatta
How do I interview a sports team?
AND
Any advice, suggestions, or important questions I should ask?
A. You interview them by getting them all together and asking the questions like, how long have you been doing this, what are your greatest achievements / prices won and how do you combine sports with your education? Other advice? Yes, remain calm and walk with a pen and notebook or better yet, simply type in the answer in draft form on your laptop or Ipad.
What are some good textbooks from which I can learn geology?
Q. I turned 14 years old in mid December. want to be a geologist with a very thorough understanding of geophysics, geochemistry and volcanology. My ultimate goal is to be an astronaut and live on Mars for a few years (probably with Mars One). So I need to start studying up so I'll have a lot of the material covered when I start college. Preferably books for the iPad.
A. Be careful, my young friend. Consider this... had you expressed this desire at age 14 in 1954, and received guidance on the best text, here's what would have happened.
1. If you studied your text diligently to learn all you could you'd enter college in 1958 knowing a lot of geology.
2. You would have graduated in 1962 ready for graduate school "knowing" a lot of geology.
3. You would find out in grad school,from 1962 through 1967 that in those few years EVERYTHING had changed. More than a hundred years of accepted geological and geophysical dogma would have been turned over in favor of Plate Tectonics.. OOPS!
Awkward moment.
Tell you what... instead of trying to teach yourself geology, why not gain field experience and learn the lingo and the rock/mineral types and the general ideas by joining your local geological club or society. ANY nearby museum should have such opportunities.
You're barely in high school; dial it back just a bit. Save specialization until 1st semester Junior year of college.
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Title : What is a good career path for someone interested in math/business?
Description : Q. I have always been interested in math (my best subject) and I have always thought I wanted to go into business. I am a junior and high s...