Why do students have a hard time learning proofs in university?

Basically in highschool you have math homework where you just repeat the same type of problem over and over again until you are able to solve that single type of problem easily. If you're smart you don't even need to really understand what you are doing, and you can get by simply by pattern matching and following the memorized steps.

Then comes mathematical proofs in university. You learn concepts in class and are given an assignment with just 5 questions, but you've never seen any of them before. You have to extend what you've learned in class, and really think about how to solve the problems. The big shocker is your midterm, and your exam. Sitting down and seeing 10 questions that you DO NOT immediately know the answer to is terrifying. You'll have to apply everything you've learned, think critically, and reason your way through the solution.

Employers won't hire you to resolve problems we know the answer to all day. They will hire you to solve the problems we have not yet solved.

I absolutely agree with you, very accurately said the employer prefers to take an employee who has been taught to think outside the box. Actually, life is an interesting thing))) About a year ago, the direction of your career seemed clear. You were going to go to a major university to study finance and then go to Wall Street to make a lot of money. But then everything changed. You were offered a job at a small nonprofit organization where you would solve problems you didn't even know existed.