Mathematics is the Doorway to Good Salaries

Not All College Degrees are Worth Having

Above is a chart of the top four salaries for new college graduates in 2017.  Notice they are all math intensive.  I have a friend who studied Anthropology and he drove a bread truck for a living.  Another fellow got a History degree and worked as a roofer.  Many people say a college degree is important, but some college degrees are more valuable.

The University of Texas - Dallas offers a bachelors degree in Actuarial Science from their School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics:  http://catalog.utdallas.edu/now/undergraduate/programs/nsm/actuarial-science.  So it is possible to get a bachelor's in Actuarial Science.  I had thought you needed a master's degree for this field.

The data in this blog was in today's (Saturday May 13, 2017) Wall Street Journal in an article on page B13, "Outlook is Rosier for Class of 2017" by Kelsey Gee. The newspaper had a great graphic, but their website article had a terrible graphic and I had to make an Excel table to post here.  The WSJ had one version of the article here:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/PR-CO-20170509-910657
The WSJ had another version of the article here:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/salaries-soar-for-the-class-of-2017-1494581404

Math instruction is usually mediocre in most public schools, so remember to be involved in teaching your children math.  A plan like this might work for your children: addition in 1st grade, subtraction in 2nd grade, multiplication in 3rd grade, and division in 4th grade.  My youngest is in college, so my memory is a bit hazy, but this plan is close if not precise.  You must drill your children on their math facts because the schools will not do it.

My best wishes for the success of your children.

Robert

Update:  see the article The Quants Run Wall Street Now by Gregory Zuckerman and Bradley Hope, May 21, 2017 Wall Street Journal on line.  Mathematicians are making great money on Wall Street.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-quants-run-wall-street-now-1495389108