I Am Unemployable

I spent some time a few nights ago running through Indeed.com looking at different jobs.  I came to one conclusion:  I'm unemployable.

For years my dream job has been to work at a gaming company, one that designs and manufactures slot machines, running the calculations for slot machine wins--a Game Mathematician.  Most of the entry-level jobs seek a "recent college graduate", and the more advanced positions require skills I don't have.  I'm in no man's land, probably a common experience for people of a certain age.

There are many analytical-type jobs, often in health care, and there are also the education jobs (specifically community college).  Those jobs require a submission not only of a resume, but also of a statement of support for minorities, members of underserved communities, the disabled, the sexual minorities, English learners, etc.  Here's an excerpt:

Candidates must exhibit an appreciation of, a sensitivity to, and a respect for a diverse academic environment, inclusive of students, faculty, and staff varying social, economic, cultural, ideological and ethnic backgrounds. 

Some of them are even more declarative. 

We believe that educational justice can only be achieved when all students are successful — including students of color, students from low-income communities, English learners, and students with disabilities. Our team is committed to addressing gaps in educator understanding and practice, pairing support with high expectations, allowing all students the opportunity to access high-quality instruction.

Educational "justice"?  How about "excellence"?  If you're using "woke" terms like "educational justice", you're not interested in high expectations, you have ideological goals that don't align with academic excellence, despite claiming otherwise. 

To be honest, I don't care about your social, economic, cultural, ideological, or ethnic background.  If you're in my class, I'm going to teach you math.  If there is a difficulty, we'll see what other resources are available to help me to teach and you to learn.  I'm interested in my students as students, not as members of groups that don't have any relation to learning math.  You want so-called educational justice?  Seek academic excellence, and justice and success will follow.

You can say I'm old-fashioned, and I am, but tell me, how are your "woke" views working out?   Is student achievement going up?  Is there any evidence that high school students are doing better than in the recent past, or that university students are graduating better prepared to succeed in the adult world?  The reason so many jobs require university degrees is because high school diplomas are worthless, a point I've made several times on this blog.  A university degree today is only slightly more valuable than a high school degree of the past.

No, I don't fit the political or ideological structures in education today, and I'm too honest to lie in a statement of ideological conformity.  Thus, until I find a position that is not directly related to teaching math, I'm sort of stuck where I am.  Five more years, I should be able to make it.