Whether they love it, struggle with it or are just plain indifferent to it, the one thing most students want to know, particularly when they're sweating it out studying for the Math A Regents, is WHY...why do I need to take all of this math? After all, the math they use in their everyday lives to calculate grades or plan out their finances may seem so far removed from learning functions, cosines and imaginary numbers.

Yet the workplace is changing rapidly. The old-fashioned manufacturing jobs that required more brawn than brain are disappearing, and new high-tech jobs are springing up in their place. Indeed, New York State is actively seeking to transform its economy by attracting new industries, ranging from biotechnology to nanotechnology. These industries will offer high paying jobs, many of which surprisingly will require only a high school or a two-year college degree. But unlike days of old, those degrees will have to include a solid training in math, science and technology.

Meanwhile, the more traditional vocations in our society will continue to demand greater math literacy. For example, today's auto mechanics use higher level math principles in virtually all aspects of their jobs, from adjusting alignments and calibrating gears to diagnosing what is wrong with an engine. Likewise, nurses use a breadth of math knowledge, as well as problem-solving and reasoning skills to not only carry out their daily duties but also to make life or death decisions.

And then there are all those so-called non-math professions that due to advances in technology now require a mathematical mind. Good examples of these are musicians who compose songs using sophisticated computer software and graphic designers who create web designs using high level mathematical reasoning.

That's not to say students going out into the modern workplace will have to endure high-level mathematical "tedium." Indeed, a mechanical engineer who has worked in the nuclear power business for the last 35 years says that computers have changed his job dramatically, allowing him to do calculations in seconds that used to take him hours or even days. Instead, his work now focuses on "coming up quickly with logical answers to difficult problems," but it is through years of studying and applying math that he has gained the mental discipline to be able to do that.

The more math the better

Regardless of your teen's interests or plans for the future, math will likely play a significant role. Though the value of algebra and geometry may not always seem readily apparent, skills like reasoning and problem solving - which are basic underpinnings of all mathematical studies - are what employers across the board look for in the people they hire.

That is why the New York State Board of Regents now requires all students to take three years of high school math and pass the Math A Regents to graduate. For now, a score of 55-64 will earn a student a local diploma, while a score of 65 or above will earn a student a Regents diploma. However, the 55 low-pass option will be phased out with the class of 2008 (today's eighth graders). For certain students with disabilities who enter grade nine prior to September 2010 and who fail the Math A exam, the requirements for a local diploma may be met by passing the Regents Competency Test in math or its equivalent.

Few kids at the high school level know for sure what they will be doing for the rest of their lives. For this reason, guidance counselors recommend that all students stretch themselves and take as many math courses as they can, going even beyond the three-year requirement. This breadth of knowledge will help them become better problem-solvers in all facets of their lives, not just the workplace. It will also prevent them from having the door slammed in their face on a future vocation or career.

Math and the fastest growing professions

Here is what the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics projects will be some of the fastest growing occupations over the next decade. In most, a working knowledge of higher level math is required. In all, an ability to reason and solve problems effectively-skills that are honed through the study of math-will be vital for success.

• Actors

• Administrative assistants and executive secretaries

• Advertising and promotions managers

• Astronomers and physicists

• Auto technicians and supervisors

• Biomedical scientists

• Chiropractors

• Clergy

• College-level teachers

• Cooks

• Computer and information scientists

• Computer network administrators

• Computer software engineers

• Counselors (educational & vocational)

• Customer service representatives

• Data communications analysts

• Database administrators

• Dental hygienists

• Desktop publishers

• Elementary teachers

• Fitness trainers

• Hairdressers

• Interpreters and translators

• Lawyers, paralegals and legal assistants

• Medical records technicians

• Optometrists

• Personal and home health-care aides

• Pharmacists

• Physical therapists and assistants

• Physicians, surgeons and medical assistants

• Private detectives Psychologists

• Public relations practitioners

• Nurses

• Retail salespeople and managers

• Speech-language pathologists

• Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors

• Telecommunications line installers and repairers

• Truck drivers

• Transportation, storage and distribution managers

• Veterinarians and technicians