I've always been passionate about math and did great in school, so I decided to pursue Computer Science to become a software developer. My question is about the necessity of higher mathematics in the industry. I know certain fields like machine learning or systems programming rely heavily on areas like probability, statistics, and linear algebra. However, I struggle to memorize all the theories and methods taught in lectures. When faced with a math problem, I often find I need to look up solutions rather than recall them. I'm curious to know if experienced developers typically remember these concepts or if they also check references. Additionally, will not having all this math knowledge affect my chances during job interviews? I worry about spending too much time solving math problems at work. Any insights?
5 Answers
As an ML developer, I can tell you that while understanding the process is crucial, even experts look things up! Focus on learning to convert math concepts into code and build your intuition. Once you have that down, recalling specifics becomes much easier.
After 20 years in coding, I can say that only basic math has been necessary for me most of the time. Libraries and online resources cover the heavy lifting. Just know the theories that exist and when to apply them. You’ll likely be fine without advanced math skills for many programming roles.
Honestly, I find myself referring back to books a lot. I rarely reuse the same solution. It's just how it goes—nobody remembers every complex solution.
It's like training a muscle; the more problems you solve, the easier recalling methods gets. On the job, it's not always about thinking on your feet—you can look things up for confidence. Only those in heavy math roles need to know all the theory by heart, like researchers.
You probably won’t need advanced math unless you're doing groundbreaking algorithm work. Just focus on acing your classes; as long as you pass and show good social skills in interviews, you’re in good shape!
Related Questions
Set Wordpress Featured Image Using Javascript
How To Fix PHP Random Being The Same
Why no WebP Support with Wordpress
Replace Wordpress Cron With Linux Cron
Customize Yoast Canonical URL Programmatically
[Centos] Delete All Files And Folders That Contain a String