Do you keep up with math in real life?

[chaoseverlasting]

I've recently decided to shift from engineering to an MBA. I am in my final year of EE and once this year is over, I'll be getting into an MBA. It wasnt an easy decision to come to, and the one part that really gets to me is that I'll be giving up math!

I mean, I know I won't completely give it up, cause any form of financial analysis requires at least a functional understanding of mathematics, but man! All those years spent studying DE's and complex analysis, geometry, algebra down the drain! That really really hurts. I am thinking of getting into heavy economics with a focus on management some how because I've heard it relies on mathematics, but other than that, it sound like the end of the road for math.

Anyone else go through something similar? How do you keep current or at least involved in a subject/field unrelated to your every day work/life?

 

[Gokul43201]

how do you keep current or at least involved in a subject/field unrelated to your every day work/life?

PF, perhaps?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

No matter what you do, don't think for a moment that all of those years are down the drain. IMO, there is more value in the intellectual rigor of mathematics, than in the mechanics of it. It is something that will always be with you.

Btw, it has generally been true that an EE-MBA is a strong combination.

 

[Danger]

I have almost no knowledge of math (primary-school algebra and enough geometry to figure out the areas and volumes of simple shapes), so the question doesn't really apply to me.
The approach to your situation which first comes to mind is to perhaps take up tutoring math as a hobby. It will keep you sharp and help someone else at the same time.

 

[BobG]

I have almost no knowledge of math (primary-school algebra and enough geometry to figure out the areas and volumes of simple shapes), so the question doesn't really apply to me.
The approach to you situation which first comes to mind is to perhaps take up tutoring math as a hobby. It will keep you sharp and help someone else at the same time.

Best option is to tutor hot, 40-something blondes in Calculus and DiffEQ. You get the best of two different worlds.

 

[FizixFreak]

I've recently decided to shift from engineering to an MBA. I am in my final year of EE and once this year is over, I'll be getting into an MBA. It wasnt an easy decision to come to, and the one part that really gets to me is that I'll be giving up math!

I mean, I know I won't completely give it up, cause any form of financial analysis requires at least a functional understanding of mathematics, but man! All those years spent studying DE's and complex analysis, geometry, algebra down the drain! That really really hurts. I am thinking of getting into heavy economics with a focus on management some how because I've heard it relies on mathematics, but other than that, it sound like the end of the road for math.

Anyone else go through something similar? How do you keep current or at least involved in a subject/field unrelated to your every day work/life?

i understand your pain i have gone through a somewhat similar situation and yes it is REALLY hard to get over it mathematics is one of the most beautiful things in the world. the math is used in business/economics in a very different way much different from science so won't enjoy it that much however best way to keep attached with the subject is teaching trust me you will discover a lot of things about math and even your self (personal experience) so don't think that your knowledge of mathematics would go down the drain why did you have to leave EE in the first place?

 

[chaoseverlasting]

Best option is to tutor hot, 40-something blondes in Calculus and DiffEQ. You get the best of two different worlds.

:tongue2: Sound like the best option yet. Unfortunately, once I start working I doubt I'll be able to squeeze out enough time for tutoring.

As Ivan said, an EE-MBA is perceived to be a strong combination and eventually I'd like to start up something of my own. I need to do an MBA so that I'm not completely lost in today's dynamic environment, specially if I want to be an entrepreneur. I just hope some of it (hopefully a large part) stays with me.

 

[cronxeh]

That is hardly math. Diffeq, linear, etc are merely prereqs for real math. If you even considering MBA then you don't belong in science. Good luck.

 

[ndnkyd]

That is hardly math. Diffeq, linear, etc are merely prereqs for real math. If you even considering MBA then you don't belong in science. Good luck.

Yeah. If you plan to work in academia. Elsewhere, in the real world, his combo EE-MBA will suit him well. There are very few jobs out there, besides in academia, that use high level mathematics daily.

 

[rootX]

I've recently decided to shift from engineering to an MBA. I am in my final year of EE and once this year is over, I'll be getting into an MBA. It wasnt an easy decision to come to, and the one part that really gets to me is that I'll be giving up math!

I mean, I know I won't completely give it up, cause any form of financial analysis requires at least a functional understanding of mathematics, but man! All those years spent studying DE's and complex analysis, geometry, algebra down the drain! That really really hurts. I am thinking of getting into heavy economics with a focus on management some how because I've heard it relies on mathematics, but other than that, it sound like the end of the road for math.

Anyone else go through something similar? How do you keep current or at least involved in a subject/field unrelated to your every day work/life?

I am in half of third year (EE) and MBA/PM is likely what I will be doing too. I considered some heavy economics or applied mathematics as well. I believe having strong mathematics along with MBA/Eng. can make you suitable for solving lots of problems.

 

[hotvette]

I've used two approaches to help keep the brain cobwebs away. One is hobby (pick a topic you like and pursue it). Second is PF. Even if you don't respond, the questions make good practice.

 

[loseyourname]

A lot of EE grads end up in quantitative finance. You can always get a graduate degree in that instead of an MBA. That'll result in you actually using your applied math skills, but I guess it's not all that useful if you want to start a company unless you actually want to start an investment firm.

 

[chaoseverlasting]

A lot of EE grads end up in quantitative finance. You can always get a graduate degree in that instead of an MBA. That'll result in you actually using your applied math skills, but I guess it's not all that useful if you want to start a company unless you actually want to start an investment firm.

I was thinking along those lines, but I'm not sure how that'll pan out. I would have to see what the situation is like when I graduate. An MBA in finance/marketing is what I'm looking at right now, though I would prefer finance. International Business (IB) also sounds interesting and is something I'm looking at seriously, but the scenario here is that I must appear for these competetive exams which eventually decide what avenues are open for me.

That is hardly math. Diffeq, linear, etc are merely prereqs for real math. If you even considering MBA then you don't belong in science. Good luck.

I was actually thinking along the lines of number theory with applications in cryptology and computer sciences, but you're right after a fashion.

 

[mugaliens]

Not really much of anything higher than trig and calculus.

 

[chaoseverlasting]

Not really much of anything higher than trig and calculus.

Using trig, you could do most of geometry, combinatorics and if you bring in calculus, you could do pretty much anything else. :p Even Fourier analysis is just trig and calculus.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

That is hardly math. Diffeq, linear, etc are merely prereqs for real math. If you even considering MBA then you don't belong in science. Good luck.

If you think EE is a science, then you don't belong in science. :rofl:

 

[diazona]

My first thought upon seeing the title of this thread was, "Do they even have math in real life?" (I wouldn't know, I'm a grad student :tongue2:)

Back on topic, though, maybe start a math blog? I know, everybody does it (blogging, not math), but it'd give you a good excuse to occasionally use the stuff you've learned. And if you keep it up long enough, the probability that nobody will ever find any of your posts useful goes to zero in the limit t → ∞

 

[FrancisZ]

I teach math, so I have to keep up with it daily. Really, I use my work as a means of staying sharp, learning what I haven't learned already (which is vast amounts of nearly everything), and to prepare for a return to Physics some day (hopefully).