Professional Connections With Discrete Mathematics

Discrete mathematics can be viewed as a set, or collection, of a number of concepts spanning algorithms, logic, matrix operations, and set theory. Basic applications of these concepts can seem fairly clear as you study them, while the further translation, or transfer, in applicability to the real world or to your profession can be harder to grasp without focused research and reflection. This discussion is an opportunity for you to market yourself to a prospective employer by presenting how the concepts and skills you have learned in this class may be applied to your current or future profession.

Post 1: Initial Response

You will write a college-level learning narrative in which you write specifically about how the skills and concepts you have learned in class are useful to a current or future employer. Choose two specific concepts or skills that you have studied in this course and research how they may be applied to your current or future profession. You will highlight specific examples related to each concept as evidence of your learning and express key ideas related to each concept which you discover are important in your field based on evidence from your research.

As you draft the body paragraphs of your learning narrative, address the following questions for each of your two concepts:

• How is the concept applicable to the field you would like to pursue?
• From your research, what sources discuss this application, and how do they characterize applying the concept in the profession?
• Share at least one specific example of a problem or skill you learned to show your prospective employer your understanding of this concept.
• Share at least two key ideas that you need to highlight during an interview.
• Is knowledge of the concept reflected in the required skills for a job advertisement you might consider? If so, describe the job and what part of the job advertisement reflects the need to possess knowledge of this concept. The learning narrative should include a title page and reference page, as well as at least 1-page double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font. Every piece of writing should have an introduction, body, and conclusion. You are expected to use outside resources for this essay. Cite at least two sources in proper APA format on a reference page. You must also use appropriate APA in-text citations throughout your narrative.