Espen Andersen — a Norwegian net-head and a prof at the Norwegian School of Management — has written an excellent article on why students should choose math at the high-school level, giving 12 reasons to pursue math at the secondary level. Here are my two favorites:
Choose math because you will lose less money. When hordes of idiots throw their money at pyramid schemes, it is partially because they don't know enough math. Specifically, if you know a little bit about statistics and interest calculations, you can look through economic lies and wishful thinking. With some knowledge of hard sciences you will probably feel better, too, because you will avoid spending your money and your hopes on alternative medicine, crystals, magnets and other swindles — simply because you know they don't work…
Choose math because you will live in a world of constant change. New technology and new ways of doing things change daily life and work more and more. If you have learned math, you can learn how and why things work, and avoid scraping by through your career, supported by Post-It Notes and Help files — scared to death of accidentally pressing the wrong key and running into something unfamiliar.
(Thanks, Espen!)
