“You Can Achieve a Lot with a Well-Trained Mind”: Math Is an Integral Part of Everyday Life

The stereotype that maths graduates mainly find work as school teachers is still prevalent. However, mathematics is all around us. It can be found in all areas of our daily lives, ranging from technology to literature, engineering, finance and even book editing. Martynas Manstavičius, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Vilnius University, and Viktorija Sikorskytė, a student from the faculty, are both convinced that a knowledge of mathematics is very useful for everyone, as it helps us to look at a situation from different angles.

“Patience” – this was the answer given by both the Associate Professor and the student to the question concerning what personal qualities a mathematician needs. Their communication started during lectures, when Viktorija would pass on questions from her fellow students to the teacher who taught her every year. Today, Associate Professor Manstavičius is the supervisor of Viktorija’s Bachelor’s thesis.

According to the Associate Professor, continuous collaboration between a teacher and students makes one try harder and think about whether or not you can teach better. By following what his former students are doing on LinkedIn, the teacher is happy to see that they are succeeding in different fields by being open-minded.

“If students learned how much they can achieve and do with a well-trained mind while at school, more of them would definitely choose to study maths,” he explained.

Associate Professor Manstavičius is the Vice-Chairman of the Council of the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics at Vilnius University, as well as a mathematical research scientist and former Head of the Lithuanian Statistical Society. After growing up in a family of mathematicians, it wasn’t difficult for him to decide what kind of career to pursue, as he had seen the doors this type of education could open: his father was a professor, while his mum, who initially worked as a software developer, later went on to become an editor of scientific books at VU Publishing House.

“Patience” – this was the answer given by both the Associate Professor and the student to the question concerning what personal qualities a mathematician needs.

Today, he says, mathematicians have even more opportunities. Many of his students work in audit companies, often the same ones where they did their internships. According to Associate Professor Manstavičius, the auditors would rather employ mathematicians with a sophisticated mindset than economists. Many mathematicians go on to careers in finance and insurance, while some become software developers.

Viktorija Sikorskytė, a fourth-year finance and insurance mathematics student, recalled that she often received comments to the effect that her studies would equip her to work as a maths teacher. However, she has already been working as a business systems analyst for a year now, and believes that this job requires a knowledge of not only finance, but also programming and working with large amounts of data.

“My job is very dynamic: our team manages six company-owned applications and solves problems with their use, to make it easier for the accountants to do their work,” she said.

Maths is everywhere

According to Associate Professor Manstavičius, it is a misconception that a mathematician will need to use the formulas, integrals or derivatives learned at school on a daily basis. It is much more important to understand the principles, analyse the consequences, develop algorithms and learn to ask: Why? What if?

Having the ability to understand these principles and analyse them is very useful in everyday life. Viktorija revealed that her background as a mathematician allows her to look at a given situation from multiple perspectives.

Her teacher echoed this belief – mathematics appears in everyday life in the form of logical thinking, and it can be present in every sentence, even if we do not notice it: “Mathematics is not necessarily about counting money or counting hours; it’s about thinking, it’s about fundamentals and it’s about meaning.”

He argues that mathematics can also be found in language, in the form of propositions, assumptions, conclusions and logical reasoning. That’s why a knowledge of mathematics may also come in handy for writers of detective novels.

Routine numbs the mind

In 2020, the results of the national maths examination sparked a real storm, when a third of the students didn’t pass it.

According to Associate Professor Manstavičius, these poor results may have been caused by the habit of doing routine, quick workbook exercises at school, where only one or two steps are required to reach the answer: “In a way, such routine numbs the mind.”

In 2020, Lithuania had a shortage of 700 teachers, with mathematicians being perhaps the most in demand. Associate Professor Manstavičius agreed that the lack of maths teachers contributed to the poor exam results. But as this is a systemic problem, no one solution will bear immediate fruit.

“My job is very dynamic: our team manages six company-owned applications and solves problems with their use, to make it easier for the accountants to do their work,” Viktorija said.

Viktorija, who was called an “encyclopaedia of mathematics” at school, recalled that her teacher used to give her more difficult extra tasks to train her mind. She believes that solving problems based on one example all the time is boring. The extra attention she received from her teacher also contributed significantly to her choice to study mathematics at university.

According to Associate Professor Manstavičius, it is not yet known how students can be taught to be persistent, and not afraid of spending a lot of time on a task.

It’s important not to give up, even if you fail on the first and second attempt. If you are determined and patient, the solution will come. If it doesn’t, you’ll find a way to work around it – you’ll formulate the task differently and try different methods. It is much more fun to solve a difficult problem, since after spending more time on it, there is a greater sense of satisfaction," said Associate Professor Manstavičius, adding that mathematicians also need creativity.

No shortage of women mathematicians

The international student assessment carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2019 showed that only one in 10 girls in Lithuania choose to study science and technology.

However, Viktorija Sikorskytė believes that this trend does not exist in mathematics – there are more girls than boys in her course. She has also seen plenty of positive examples, as all the maths teachers at her school were women.

“Girls are much more diligent than boys. But in the world of today, some girls prefer to do things related to beauty, even though they could be great mathematicians,” she said.

Today, Viktorija is working on her final Bachelor’s thesis on systemic risk in the financial sector. She believes that there are always risks and that you cannot invest blindly, which is why she recommends real estate as an investment choice.
According to Associate Professor Manstavičius, the least risky solution is not to invest anywhere; however, inflation will “consume” your money anyway. It is therefore very important to understand the principles, diversify your investments and try to come up with a strategy.

“There is no universal recipe. Models can show one outcome, yet life shows another. It’s all about trying, and not being afraid to fail. Little by little, experience is gained and intuition helps,” he said.

In recognition of the importance of developing a relationship between teachers and students, and having the courage to ask questions, VU is presenting an art project and a virtual exhibition, in collaboration with the documentary and portrait photographer Tadas Kazakevičius. The exhibition also features a series of portraits of Associate Professor Martynas Manstavičius and his student Viktorija Sikorskytė, revealing a sincere teacher-student relationship and the importance of communication.