The subject we love to hate: Math...

[AlphaWolf]

A question I have for the (future?) IT professionals here: what math level is generally required for any decent paying job in the IT field?

EDIT: or better yet, how far would "differential equations" take you?

 

[aprentice]

A question I have for the (future?) IT professionals here: what math level is generally required for any decent paying job in the IT field?

EDIT: or better yet, how far would "differential equations" take you?

calculus is the highest math an IT major needs. csc major goes furthur in the math area.

 

[AlphaWolf]

calculus is the highest math an IT major needs. csc major goes furthur in the math area.

Hmm...I was hearing that your typical "dilbert"ish engineer needs somewhere in the 350 range, though nobody I talk to is ever sure.

 

[Hacktarux]

It really depends on what you wanna do.... There are definitely some very well paid job that require high math skills. There are no secrets if you want to be well paid you must have some skills that others people don't have and more and more people know how to use a computer and how to program it without taking IT courses nowadays. So, if you're looking for money you need to have something unique, it can be maths in some advanced domains or it can be something else.

If you want some examples of domains that require math, i can give you two i'm currently studying : images recognition and production scheduling management.

 

[scotty]

For IT courses, you probably need advaned Math courses to take it, you probably could get away with intro. calculus (uggh I hate Calculus, I failed it in high school). It all depends on your employer.

 

[AlphaWolf]

It really depends on what you wanna do.... There are definitely some very well paid job that require high math skills. There are no secrets if you want to be well paid you must have some skills that others people don't have and more and more people know how to use a computer and how to program it without taking IT courses nowadays. So, if you're looking for money you need to have something unique, it can be maths in some advanced domains or it can be something else.

Hmm...so basically it comes down to this: find out what math most people take, and get one math course higher than that?

The predicament I am in kinda goes like this: I can't decide what kind of job I want. I have about 3 different major areas that I am equally looking at. One of them is IT, but I constantly hear about how frustrating office work is, so I figure that if I do eventualy decide to get dilberts job, I better get paid a hell of a lot. My math teachers and advisors tell me that until I decide what major I want, I should continue taking math courses, because once you stop, you forget a lot. The problem is, I hate math, and I don't know how much more I can stands.

Right now I am looking at stopping at "differential equations" (currently 3 math classes ahead of what I am doing now), but that is nowhere near what the "heresay" advises to me.

 

[blizz]

I used differentials and integrations for my basic Quantum Mechanics, not much help since I did Chemistry but it gives you an idea of the required standard for a area which doesn't require maths as it's main discipline

I agree with your maths teacher as soon as you stop you'l forget it since you don't need it for every day life, and picking it back up after a year (in my case) is a bitch

 

[scotty]

Calculus is used for almost absolutely nothing. I think the only time youlll need it is if you are getting into certain parts of the sciences. I really do not see the need for it in business programs (like the one im in).

 

[AlphaWolf]

Business majors that I know of require brief calculus, which afaik is a mix of geometric calc and trig, and you can take it right after college algebra. General associates of science degrees need at least "calculus with analytic geometry 1". To get to differential equations, you have to go through calc w/analytic geometry 1 through 3 first, which I would need to do anyways if I were to get a biology major. Majoring in the legal field (another one of my possible choices) wouldn't require anything beyond college algebra.

But that aside, I guess my question narrows down to this: would most of you computer science and engineering majors agree that differential equations is "enough"? Or is it advisable to go even further?

 

[aprentice]

I'm taking IT as my major currently, that was the requirements according to my plan of study. I fullfilled my math requirements last year, barely made it through calculus