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OT: Math skills over the course of your life/career

100% true!
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My career isn't engineering (got an MBA and moved over commercial pharma/biotech) but it's literally insights and advanced analytics. I have never used any of that math in the past 20 years. It's all spreadsheets and computer programs like SPSS, SAS, or now PowerBI, etc.
 
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My career isn't engineering (got an MBA and moved over commercial pharma/biotech) but it's literally insights and advanced analytics. I have never used any of that math in the past 20 years. It's all spreadsheets and computer programs like SPSS, SAS, or now PowerBI, etc.
We spend most of our time understanding and integrating laws and regulations for our clients. Now sophisticated investment models and financial management is the game. However, you can't be credentialed without that math.
 
We spend most of our time understanding and integrating laws and regulations for our clients. Now sophisticated investment models and financial management is the game. However, you can't be credentialed without that math.
I guess you can say that even though you don't need to do the math anymore, you still need to understand it and know how/when to apply it. Something like that, right? :)
 
I do less math but not because it’s not required. We use plenty of math in finance. I just have people who do the math for me now.
 
My team and I do so every day at work. However, it's via spreadsheets and software, not by actually doing the math anymore.
Early on the math, but yea, later on it was software and spreadsheets. I think doing the math at some point better enabled me to understand and interpret stat and regression.
 
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Structural engineer here! So true! And young kids have seldom done any calculation by hand so the top of the curve is much lower!
I think some more advanced classes are teaching to the spreadsheets/software instead of the actual math.
 
I think some more advanced classes are teaching to the spreadsheets/software instead of the actual math.
Spreadsheet is to replicate the math and automate. You have to know the math to build the models. I remember the 1st thing I had to do when I joined a trading desk was to recreate a Bloomberg model via excel. The reason was to learn the math behind the model.
 
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I've always suffered a bit from dyscalculia and avoided math - never took geometry, trig etc.
Had one year of freshman basic math needed to graduate and that was that.
So reading about all this "forgetting" I dont feel so bad lol.

But I did have a prof who helped me with a course in stats and SPSS.
It was independent study for history (using C18 census data) and took me 5 months instead of 3 but I got a lot out of it.
I can't remember all the multiple regression tools but I have an edge when I read studies, polls and such
Might be the most valuable class I took along with research methods
 
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Not an engineer, but the only "higher" math I ever use ,on any kind of regularity, would be geometry. Did have to use statistical analysis for my masters thesis but that was 50 years ago! 🤔
 
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