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Business is business, right? When it’s time to have those meetings and conferences, you want everything to run smoothly so you can concentrate on the task at hand.  Tina Speers has been ensuring that happens for four years as a corporate event coordinator.  She is the one making sure the projector runs like it should, and the refreshments are available on time.

Can you explain what you do for a living?

I have been an corporate event coordinator for four years. The majority of my job involves scheduling and planning events. I keep a Google calendar and plan the events and schedule rooms based on the needs of each group.  We also do virtual conferences, which requires IT skills such as basic knowledge of IP based systems.  I also stock our small cafe and make coffee on a daily basis.

When do you use basic math in your job?

Basic math is needed for the cafe.  Each item is 50 cents, or we have all day pricing.  I often need to make change (cafe is operated on an honor system).  I never use a calculator unless large groups pay per person for a certain amount of items.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math? Why or why not?

If we need to make copies for our groups they are charged per page copied.  I often use a calculator because of the amount we charge.  A black and white copy is 05 cents and a color copy is 15 cents and we usual make copies in large volumes (at least 20 pages).  I also use basic math to complete the usage and metrics for the event center. We tally our guest totals by month.  I use a calculator for this because the numbers are usually large and uneven.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

Math helps me do my job better because I am able to move fast when a guest is waiting for change.  I can’t imagine having to  use a calculator every time a guest needs change.

How comfortable with math do you feel? Does this math feel different to you ?

I am very comfortable with this math and it does not feel different or unusual in any way.  I mean,  I learned how to count change in first grade!  In general, I do not feel very comfortable with math unless it is very basic.

What kind of math did you take in high school? Did you like it/feel like you were good at it?

In high school I remember taking algebra, trig, and geometry as well as some sort of review class my senior year. I think it was actually called “Senior Review.”  I have not used any advanced math skills in my job. I took Calc I in college and barely passed.  I also feel I had a lot of bad math teachers especially in my middle school years.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job? Or was it something that you could pickup using the skills you learned in school?

I have not used any advanced math skills in my job.

Do you have a question for Tina? An event you need to plan? Send me your question and I will forward it to her.

Many of us work in what we call corporate America. A lot goes on behind the scenes that allows the workers to do their jobs effectively. Tina Boocher is a corporate secretary at her husband’s fabrication business, Boochers, Inc., a a steel manufacturing company — but her responsibilities go way beyond managing email, calendars and meeting agendas. You won’t believe the math she does. 

Can you explain what you do for a living?

I work in the office of a fabrication and repair shop. My job consists of entering orders, making schedules for the employees, working up drawings and prints to build from, bookkeeping and payroll.

When do you use basic math in your job?

I use basic math in just about all applications of my work. When figuring out the dimensions on the prints (which our employees build from), I have to calculate within fractions of an inch what dimensions are required so that we can accurately fabricate and assemble our parts. As for bookkeeping and payroll, math is extremely important because it is used in ALL aspects, whether it is entering items into inventory, tallying outstanding checks to reconcile a bank statement or calculating time cards so that paychecks are printed.

Do you use any technology (like calculators or computers) to help with this math?

Mostly, I use an adding machine to aid my work. Although, I sometimes use a calculator and computer. Spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel, are very useful for making reports. Excel requires the user to be able to write math formulas.

How do you think math helps you do your job better?

My job would be IMPOSSIBLE to do without math. Without math, we couldn’t make our parts, track our information in our computers, or pay employees.

How comfortable with math do you feel?

I feel fairly comfortable with the math that I use on a regular basis. There are times when we have drawings that require advanced trigonometry in order to build them. At that point I need help from the fabricators who are more familiar with that type of math.

What kind of math did you take in high school?

In high school, I only made it through Algebra 1.

Did you have to learn new skills in order to do the math you use in your job?

I received on-the-job training for bookkeeping, payroll and figuring the dimensions on the prints.

This is a great example of how important the ability to do math is.  If you want more details about Boocher’s or Tina’s use of math at work, comment below. I’ll be happy to ask her!