It's a pretty interesting article actually. I think a lot more thought needs to go into how we structure our education system, whose construct is far outdated. The reason mathematics and sciences are so emphasized is because in the early stages of industrialization there was a need to produce workers with foundation in these subjects to work in factories and as engineers. Society has changed and so to should our education system change.

The author presents a good point, "how many people actually need a basis in algebra to do their job?" . Sure on ee, most of us are math nerds (myself included), but who actually uses polynomial equations, sine graphs, and trig after school? Hell i took a slew of math classes in high school and university, most concepts of which still aren't relevant even though i'm an engineer. Even with the engineering jobs i have had, i found my past schooling wasn't entirely useful as you learn most of what you need to know on the job (mind you i'm a civil engineer, so i won't speak for everyone). Most classes you take, you just forget a semester later anyway, so what's the point? What were useful skills to have entering the workforce though? Being able to communicate, being organized, knowing how to manage oneself and having discipline, problem solving skills and having an idea how to approach complex situations. Even learning how to control your motivation is important. Some of these were peripherally gained in school, but mostly i picked these up from my own experiences outside the classroom.

There are highly specialized job that require lots of study and training, without a doubt, but our goal for education should be to build a strong foundation for people to function successfully in the real world. Just my thoughts anyway. Also i'm not trying to hate on math, i personally love looking at the world through the lens of mathematics, but a lot of what's taught is not essential for everyone.