What is the most useful thing to learn properly and have a qualification in these days?

Question

Ok I have some basic grades but nothing special. I have been looking at lots of courses in colleges and stuff but something in me just says that most of them are just b.s. things that you could never really get work with as there are so many people doing it for example: web design. This was good when the internet first came out commercially like 15 years ago or whenever but now there is just too many students who have grades in this and it does not stand out any more.

So onto my Q: I want to get something extra which I know I can fall back on and would be useful in the world of work (as chaotic as it is right now)....
What is the most useful qualification and professional ability out there which would help a person the most? all be it in ANY industry. Try and be realistic also I mean I doubt the average Joe could become a Quantom Physisist lol. What is something which anyone who is not dumb could become useful and productive in? ty.

Answer 1

Not just math teaching - it would appear that there are two areas that you can ask any group of professors or HR professionals about and will find that they're in woefully lacking supply:



Math - most people in present society are mathphobic and have pretty poor analytical math skills. Majors that require higher math find that they have to remediate student skills and employers with jobs that require higher level math can't seem to find qualified people to fill the jobs. It doesn't seem to matter which arena of math either. Business/finance is just as short math-heads as is engineering and science.



Communication - [the skill, not the degree] "The ability to communicate well orally and in writing" has been in short supply for over a decade. While a lot of people seem to think they have the skill; as far as employers are concerned, they just don't. In 'the information age', businesses need people that can generate 50-100 pages of coherent technical/professional writing in less than a week (sometimes in a day) and can then go present that information in front of a diverse audience without looking or sounding clueless.



Developing both sets of skills (one would expect a math teacher is able to communicate math) makes one a very desirable commodity on the labor market. Combining those skills with a vocational expertise such as engineering, finance, computer science, etc... makes one an even more valuable commodity.

Answer 2

Boris is right: math and even French/Spanish, and Chemistry teachers are in high demand and always will be as, usually, people with these majors tend to go onto med or grad school. English teachers are in high demand in Asia.



Web design is a crowded field, yes, but there are many other sectors in the IT industry that are doing well. Especially in Canada. For example, computer security or systems analysis.



The health field will always be a great thing to get into; nursing, biotechnology (which is IT and biology put together), Health Information Systems (again, IT and HEALTH - not bio - put together), biomedical or chemical engineering.



Needless to say, engineering is also a good option.



If you're a business person, you can also think about accounting or finance. Accountants are always in high demand, even in this terrible economy.



Hope this helps!

Answer 3

When I was 16 I left school because I hated it!

I worked right away and then looked for a course to study. I studied child care...which is something people are always looking for and always pay well! You will never be out of work. You can choose your profession... a child minder, a nanny, travel around the world and nanny or as a nursery nurse. You can run your own business, train in many areas, such as speech and language, special needs, child protection, teaching assistent, early years degree (which is what I am studying now) etc to further your qualifications and knowledge, while working and being paid! It's just perfect...as long as you enjoy working with children of course. :)

Many people welcome men into this sector, as children also need a good male role model in their life.

Answer 4

I agree, Maths is a highly desirable subject to teach, but so are any sciences for that matter and science based subjects can be used to support other areas like criminology for example which can lead to forensic investigation.



A good thing to ask yourself and remember is what are the most needed and desired skills in today's world, match that answer with something that you feel you could excel in and suddenly there is your goal and your ambition.



Good luck for the future and I wish you all the very best in whatever career you choose.

Answer 5

You are very wise! My son is a maths teacher and schools BEG him to go and work for them. It seems maths teachers are in very short supply.

Answer 6

maths