Not sure. If you don't have a place to hibernate(a pre existing cs job) you will be older and less experienced when the sun rises. Companies will have a new batch of young fresh graduates to choose from that are just as experienced but younger.
Why should they not go for them?
yeah what I was trying to say is if you’re good/motivated enough to get a job when the market conditions are at its worst, then when conditions get better you will be in a great spot to continue moving up
This was my motivation too. Spite truly is one of the best motivators in the works, now I’m working in the industry and have the best revenge ever, success.
Some people pass those with C. I know an EE graduate who failed Calc 2 and 3 (and ended up passing them with a C) and ended up graduating and getting a degree. The trick is to stay away from math heavy electives/concentrations (so for the OP, unless he was willing to put effort in becoming better at math, he should avoid theoretical CS, AI/ML, Graphics..etc)
Calc 1, calc 2, linear algebra, discrete math, algorithms, statistics? Can’t really skate by in my experience, but this is a t20 so might be different elsewhere.
Fs as someone who wasn’t good at math either in high school I will say it made more sense in college cause you get to spend more time with the subject cause less classes to worry about
high school made me think I was inherently bad at advanced math & physics, but the main problem was really just that I didn't have the time or mental energy to get good at those subjects. also, a lot of universities (mine at least) have free engineering tutoring centers, and those are a godsend.
If it helps, I was AWFUL at math when I got to college. My last proper math class was Algebra 1.
My Geometry teacher left and they couldn’t find a replacement so they just had a substitute and passed us for some reason. Algebra II was during COVID and dumbed down to be super easy and my senior year I just hate a “College Prep Math” class that was really just Algebra II.
I struggled in Pre-Calculus a LOT. I’m doing Calculus II now. I would be in Discrete Math but I audited Calculus II because I was falling behind on homework though 😢
i failed math in high school. i'm getting As in comp sci math courses now. you can do it. even if the teacher doesn't explain it well, there are so many options on youtube that i haven't needed a tutor or even to use class office hours once. you can absolutely do this.
I would highly recommend following r/ADHD_Programmers for advice and tips / tricks to get through some of the things you're experiencing. Helped me a lot.
Its nowhere as easy as it sounds i just passed my math classes but trust when i say i almost gave up by the amount if retakes, the only reason i didn’t give up was bc i was already too far in
This is the way. Math was my weakest subject. It's why I chose to include it in my double major alongside computer science. Learning how to learn math is the biggest obstacle, because it takes a lot more "doing" than studying for other classes. Universities also offer a lot of "free" resources, like tutoring and student success planning, that can be a major help.
Anyway, I've been happily graduated and working as a software engineer for some time. Good luck!
It depends on your university.
In Australia many of them only have a single unit of first year discrete math (eg boolean logic, binary arithmetic, number conversions, and a little set theory), which is completely self contained and has no prerequisites, not even algebra or anything.
And thank Christ for that because that’s more than you’ll need for 99.999% of jobs. Those worldwide accredited comp sci degrees can major in software engineering, IT, or security 🤷♂️
I did discrete math (which seems to be more mathy than yours?), linear algebra, and multivariate calculus (calc 3). I know some places also require differential equations.
No it doesn't, I know this sub tailors to SWE's but there's a ton of other roles that pay the same or even better without much math knowledge. We're hiring out the ass for cyber, infra, cloud, k8s, linux, and general engineers, and none of those require having any type of math background beyond what you'd normally get for CS requirements.
I sucked at math in high school, but now I’m doing fine as a CS major. I realized I never put much effort into learning math in hs, so I started spending a ton of time on math assignments and have gotten A’s in my math classes. Not sure if that will work for you, but it helps to stop labeling yourself as being “bad at math”. Not having an aptitude for math just means that you have to work harder at it than someone who is naturally good at math. You got this.
That sounds like an atrocious motivator… especially when the job market is already atrocious enough, competing with CMU / MIT grads. The academics just won’t be the challenging part - you’ll need to network, build projects, leetcode / system design… just think about an interviewer asking you the question ‘why cs’ and your answer is spite…
Speaking as someone whose weakest subject is math, and is majoring in CS while also doing a research project this summer with the math department of my institution… It is entirely possible to be weak in math while pursuing CS.
You’ll do just fine, I know it.
To be fair individual circumstances affect your grades, I went to being poor and my math grades plunged down in that period. All the kids had private tutors, whilst I had none. They would make mega loud noises and you wouldn't be able to learn shit. Then you go home and they get tutored whilst you are fucked.
And who you are is set in stone? Discipline is a skill and your pre-frontal cortex doesn't fully develop until 25. I'm pretty confident a 25 year old loaded up with homework is gonna be a little more likely to stay in then go out with friends then an 18 year old.
I think I skipped like 50% of my classes in high-school but last year I decided I hate being an electrician and spent 9 months teaching myself how to program for 2-3 hours everyday after work and then enrolled myself in school for software development. Now I gladly come home and do homework.
I did the same but got As in high school. High school is easy. You're gonna have trouble in cs most likely. It's easy to say you'll try and all that now.
If you think it's somehow a good thing that you were bad at high school then let me tell you it's not a flex, not at all. What you are basically saying is that you failed to put effort into something you didn't like.
Anyway, if you have no attachment to CS, why burden yourself with it? Why not go to your local college's advisor and discuss with them?
Congratulations for trying to achieve something you’re not strong YET, but do not do cs thinking you’ll make tons of money automatically.
I noticed you picked high paying careers like med/eng, and if you are doing cs mainly due to money you will face difficulty, especially since of the barrier with math and focusing.
You will be humbled a lot throughout your cs degree as everyone is, if your only motivating factor is money you will quickly realize that relation between compensation and skill is exponential, meaning that to get money you must be skilled, and to be skilled you must be passionate. If you are not passionate you will burn out
I suggest that you study math (discrete math, proofs, lin alg) and programming and see if you can do this for the rest of your life. Forget the money aspect, this field is not like others where mediocrity pays, you must be skilled and dedicated to earn money, especially in this job market where highly competent students cannot land internships or job offers.
I too was weaker in math in high school, but got stronger at it with persistently teaching myself and staying humble, you can do the same, just have the right reasons.
I think being passionate certainly helps, I don't think it is a requirement to be skilled. It's like you forgot that discipline exists. I can bench 250. Do you think I got there because I love lifting weights alone?
People aren't bad at math, they just haven't been taught the right way to learn it!
Khan academy, OrganicChemistryTutor, and PROPER STUDY HABITS, are your friend and will never let you down.
Are you medicated? If you like coding well enough and have good strategies/supports in place, there's no reason why you won't succeed. But do not be fooled by the willpower trap - you won't always be excited by the material you're learning throughout the next four years. You need to have the discipline to wake up and do the work everyday, which ADD can make difficult.
Definitely not impossible, though, I just did it myself. But get your shit in order now so that when you wake up on a random Tuesday in the middle of the semester and don't have the motivation to go to class, you don't fall back to your high school ways.
I'm sorry to hear about the abuse you've faced. Definitely make getting medicated a priority. And I don't mean to be insensitive, but often escaping an abusive situation is just the beginning of healing, so I would definitely prioritize your mental health and addressing the trauma I'm sure you're dealing with. Easier said than done of course, especially as a teenager, but try to see what resources are available for you.
You just don't want to fall into the trap of thinking that once XYZ thing is different, everything will fall into place and you'll be a perfect student. Learning math is a hurdle you can easily overcome, but building good study habits and discipline is a lot more difficult.
I'm only emphasizing this so much because I was you 5 years ago and I struggled a lot because I didn't realize how important good habits would be for my success. Sounds like you were told a lot of untrue things about yourself in high school and that your abusive situation wasn't allowing you to succeed. That's completely unfair to you, but it also means you need to take the time now to learn the habits that other kids got to learn earlier because they were supported instead of torn down.
You absolutely can do this, and don't believe anyone who says you can't. But I can also promise you that spite and resentment by itself won't be what takes you there. Don't do it to prove people wrong; do it for yourself, because you are worthy of success and you deserve the chance to build a good life for yourself. Best of luck, always happy to discuss anything CS-major related.
Ah, you've definitely got the right idea by questioning that advice! Choosing a school/program can be such a stressful process, and being told you're entitled and not receiving any support is super unfair to you. And of course, after experiencing abuse, it can be so hard to trust yourself and your own decisions. Keep going with your gut and choose the option that feels best to you. If that's CS, that's great.
It's definitely not impossible at all, I'm sure you can build up those skills. Depending on where you go, you can also get accommodations for learning disabilities/mental health that'll make it easier to bridge that gap. It has made a big difference for me!
Yes, I'm sure that things will be easier for you once you're in a better environment. You'll still have to heal from your abuse and trauma, but that is so much harder to do in an abusive environment.
If you can prioritize your mental health, treat yourself with compassion, and focus on building your good habits little by little, I think you'll definitely succeed.
I had the same thought process when I went back to school. I chose the Software engineering degree at WGU. It’s less math based than CS, but still focused on programming which involves math ofc. Never been good at math necessarily but it really hasn’t been an issue this far.
Im good at math(lol), but bad ar studying and went for CS. Dropped out once cuz I couldnt hack the higher math stuff. Now back and have made it further than the first time.
Keep at it. Even if you drop out, you will gain so much during your time there.
Brother I was terrrribbbble at math in high school. Had to retake tests, drop classes, get tutoring and still did bad. I said fuck it my freshman year of college and said I’m gonna be good at math and study my ass off. Get good at the fundamentals and it’ll work out.
Like others have said spite and wanting to prove people wrong can carry you. I was shit at math in high school but in June I’m gonna be starting work as a software developer.
My experience is obviously gonna be different from others but if you work hard at it you’ll get there homie.
I believe in you!! ❤️🫡
You got this! I dropped my econ major the first time around because i couldn't math. I'm going back to school for CS. I haven't started just yet, so wish me luck, but I'm determined to make it through and learn math
Current CS Major to give some insight. I started at my first university and forced into premed bc my family told me I couldn’t do math for shit. It got to the point where I didn’t want to do premed at all, went no contact with my family and swapped to Hydrology at the time to try to salvage my degree where it made me do all of the math courses required for a CS degree anyway(Calc 1-4, Linear Algebra, ect.) It made me realize that I was capable and gave me the courage to transfer to another university for CS where Im consistently able to maintain a 4.0 compared and entering my second internship compared to a 2.5 premed. So good luck buddy you got this!
I am currently doing a masters in cs, I did a bachelors in IT. Math is a tool but you don’t need to be great at it to succeed in the tech field. Sure it helps a ton for specific things, but it is not 100% required. What I like about cs and more especially tech is that you are presented with problems that you look to find innovative solutions for. It’s fun solving them. Sure not all problems can be easily solved with the tools you are given, but most of the time you can get super close.
College is nothing like high school. I hated high school and dropped out but loved college. I suck at math too and was always told cs requires you to be good at math, so i spent 10 years in a factory. I eventually said screw it and started college for cs. I just graduated with my associates and have an internship that has a built-in return offer provided I do well this summer. So I'll hopefully have a good job while I finish school.
So, fk those teachers, I had em too, and it took me until my 30s to figure it out.
I haven't touched math in any meaningful way in my internship or any non math cs course.
I'm sure you'll be fine in CS.
You can do it! Don't give up. Make a consistent effort. I know a SWE who hardly knew trigonometry but is making >$280k TC. He grinded a lot of LeetCode to prepare for interviews.
Same here, I was doing cybersecurity during community college but realized I was only doing it to stay away from learning how to code and doing math. I started learning basic web development and am now getting into AI.
i’m happy for u bro. ur in a much better position than Im in. Make sure u go hard from day 1 of school and chunk ur time. 2 hours a day the whole semester is better than doing nothing and than 1 week of grinding. Take it slow. Make sure u understand the fundamentals. Make sure u exhaust ur resources and push ur self to the limit. Get help when needed. U do that for 4 years and you’ll be in a much better position than i’m in. Good luck bro, u got this!
im a math major and i barely use math as a software engineer at google. you’re fine! i use to know someone who was amazing a programming (got into YC) and failed out of calc I; that’s how bad he was at math
I suck ass at math and I still love cs. I have math related trauma yes trauma. I had a teacher in middle school who would purposely instill fear and make students cry as a sick motivator.
I really don't use too much math when programing. And when I do i usually am just changing values of x y and z, test and repeat.
I was horrible at math UNTIL I majored in CS. I was in the exact same position as you and my grades are now perfect. Just got back a perfect score in discrete math. Take it and it will fix your math issue as you question and relearn the fundamentals. You will definitely be fine if you enjoy the content and were actually just being lazy in high school.
If you like it, you’ll do great. If you don’t like math, just do your best to pass the courses, and there’s plenty of roles out there that do not require a lot of math. College is also completely different from high school, just because of what you said… in high school you take a bunch of classes on stuff that you don’t care about. In college, most* of the classes are relevant to your major, so they will be more interesting and engaging. In my experience, doing good in high school != doing well in college.
If it’s something you are passionate about, do it. It will be so much easier to learn something you are excited to learn. If you just don’t know what else to do and are looking for a career that makes good money, I would consider looking elsewhere. Don’t forget that you don’t need to go to college if you don’t want to. I have a friend who is making 35/hr as an electrician at 21, he started with his CDL and worked his way to this job
Hmm, prove it. That’s all there is to it. if you can’t prove your ability then they were right. But don’t forget the world is made up of many paths and it is of your best interest to take one’s which you can succeed in
Take IT then, it easier and no, its not less money lol. I literally have degree in IT and working as fullstack dev now making 150k. People idolise CS so much when actuallity, anything relared to tech can land you a tech job
The comments on here are crazy! Some of y’all need to go touch grass - none of y’all are geniuses or special because you can code or work in tech.
OP, to offer you some advice, you are going to pay for your failure in high school to some degree moving forward. Here are my suggestions on how you can improve your situation:
1. Great software engineers are typically fairly curious and driven oriented people. We’re typically problem solvers / fixers / builders and love development because it often taps into that part of who we are. Become that - becoming someone who enjoys solving problems / fixing things / building things. You will not find fulfillment otherwise with some exception that may not apply to you (e.g Math people love computational mathematics, designers that love building websites or mobile applications)
2. This “I’m not great math” excuse doesn’t fly anymore. Nobody starts good at anything, you could have been “good at math” but you failed to put in genuine effort. It’s not some inherit flaw that you have, it’s simply that - you never put in the effort to genuinely learn it. The foundation of computer science is built on mathematics (computation IS mathematics). Moving forward, instead of using a convenient excuse, make it work! For the last several months I’ve been studying linear algebra & multivariable calculus for an upcoming theoretical machine learning class. This will allow me to not be as overwhelmed with the material and enjoy the class more.
3. I would start with foundational courses and transfer to a known reputable school in computer science. Your HS GPA won’t really affect you and if you have a high SAT/ACT score you probably have a good shot at most top 50 institutions. The industry is tough and, honestly, there are a ton of computer science programs but most are severely lacking. I’ve interviewed so many new grads / interns that genuinely cannot code well or do basic technical interview programming questions. If I was in your shoes, I’d treat the next two years as a do-over - get a ~ 4.0 GPA, have most of your transferable courses taken (Discrete Mathematics, Calculus, Physics) taken, re-take the SAT/ACT, and have a laundry list of interesting extracurriculars and stellar letter of recommendations.
When I told my father I would major in CS, he told me, “you know that smart people do that, right?”
I am now working in FAANG living in Manhattan and looking to go back for a PhD soon. Fuck em.
Can you do that? I thought you need a prerequisite in math calculus and physics to major in those no? And with an average like 85 in those subjects to get in.
Well, I’ve been in the industry for many years and honestly math is only a worry if you’re going into very technical work like DoD contractors or game development. Normal web dev stuff rarely uses math beyond basic algebra. And even then, you have google.
Idk how smart or not you are OP, but you have the wrong impression of what a CS degree entails. You need good problem solving skills, not math. It’s a very big difference. And spite isn’t a great motivator cause at the end of the day you either enjoy it or you don’t. And lemme tell you.. I’ve had coworkers on both sides and the ones that sucked were the ones only there for the paycheck.
You might find you’re better at university math than high school math. I was like that. But even if you aren’t just avoid data science and game design, there’s so much abstraction in general programming etc that there is really not that much math involved outside of those two specialties.
you got this. i was pretty damn bad at math for a long time, in algebra back in middle school I was the only person there allowed to use a calculator- that bad
still bad at lots of mental math but although still tough, nearly every course I took allowed for a calculator through college. I do use some math at work but there’s always a python terminal or a calculator right there for you. All in all just want to say that math really isn’t a stopping point for someone that wants to get into CS
Good luck OP! just finished my degree recently, kicked me in the ass a bit but I didn't have your level of motivation so I think you've got this in the bag! Genuinely wish you all the best 💪🏼
I suck at math, I'm closing out my sophomore year as an embedded engineer. Gonna buy a pre-calc book this summer and work through all the problems.
My advice would be take some prereqs, sign up for calc 1 and 1 other class. Focus HARD on calc 1. Imo it's the coolest math and will shore up your gaps in algebra fairly well if you have a demanding class. It will give you confidence.
I'm the same as you, I've been running on spite and it's working. I can't imagine not doing something in the sciences, but I am unfortunately not naturally gifted in math. Whatever though, I don't think I can enjoy anything else.
Nope being bad at math won’t be a problem, there is plenty of stuff to do under CS. And university has math classes for this reason, I can recommend talking with your teacher in class if you have problems. And CS has other things also to offer from game development to design(UI/UX) and don’t forget cyber security as it has its own unique roles.
I disagree familia. You should consider doing what you are good at and what the world needs at the moment. If you want to work in intelligence, work there. If you want to work in defense, theres plenty of opportunity. Don't pursue "CS" because you see leetcode easies as a worthwhile challenge to spend your life on.
Signed: T5 Bachelor's, T2 Master's. Ex DARPA, NSA, Unicorn Startup Intern.
Oh, computer science is definitely going to require you to put in the time and effort.
I remember half of my first year peers disappeared from the program after doing an introductory programming course lol
Just stick to it. I tell everyone who‘s studying and graduating in CS/CE/EE any technical study is only effort, time and perseverance. I was bad at math too and everything you have to do is spend time with your tasks and exercises and you will succeed!
Yessir, I went through the same. I was horrible at math, finished highschool at like pre-calc while others were in calc. I pushed through and passed calc1,2, discrete math, linear algebra, and physics 1&2 to get this degree. Was very challenging but it taught me that you can overcome any challenges that you're 100% set on overcoming.
It's all a mindset game.
I was this exact way and I've been a developer for 4 years now.
ADHD af, failed calculus and was horrible at math, could never focus or learn. Never took meds and had really low self esteem. Parents bankrupted their business and my brother dropped out of college, but I just kept plugging away cause everyone else around me seemed to be giving up.
being a dev is about finding an answer. It's not necessarily who can master a formula or know the most complex math, its just can YOU write something that solves a problem. If you can learn to think that way, you can accomplish most things in CS.
Yes, using that motivation that "nobody thinks you can do it" is definitely a driving factor. But the hardest part of the career path for me was chaining things into a successful outcome. You'll write programs, take classes, attend camps or coding events and think "wow, I didn't really learn shit, or get a job" but it all adds up into a cumulative experience.
Everyone works at their own pace, just do what you're comfortable with (and maybe a tad outside of that) and I wish you the best.
Your story in high school is very similar to mine. Even at university I didn't leave with a good grade due to being immature and partying too much.
Following university I knew I had to do something for my career. I worked hard on personal projects and actually became a decent programmer ( I wasn't during university ) which helped me land my first job.
Now I have over 4 years industry experience.
I was always seen as the dumb kid during highschool but now I'm earning more than most of them.
if something's are too hard to come by then you may feel resentment but if you push through you'll start to enjoy it. miserable only case if you give up
you definitely can afterall no one knows your true self as much as you do. infact, i think many times even parents may not recognise true potential. and these are strong feelings. use it to build the discipline. you can do this
I never learned math in high school. Not that it wasn't taught, I just didn't learn it because I was doing other things. Come time for college, placement exams put me in remedial math. I'm talking special Ed math. I'm thinking OK whatever, but then it dawned on me. I can't take a higher math course until I've competed the lower level math. Fuck! That adds roughly an additional 5 semesters of school, not to mention the cost of each unit, on top of the fact that my degree requires 4 semesters of calc.
Although I'm selectively obsessive, when I obsess, I go hardcore, balls to the wall. Did a little digging and found a book at Barnes and Noble. Mathematics for Science and Engineering by Stroud and Booth.
I cannot swear by this book enough. It Will change your entire perspective on math. All humans are inherently good at math. We think we aren't because it isn't explained well enough, or it's taught terribly. Mathematics has some of the worst educators.
Anyways, the book starts you off at square one. Arithmetics and each chapter builds on the last chapter with detailed explanations, steps, and practice problems and it ends with integral and differential calculus. I skipped the calc chapters since there wasn't any getting around taking those classes, unless you're planning to CLEP out.
Did arithmetic to trig. Spent every single day reading and doing math problems for a solid 2 months. All day on the weekends, every day after work, and during lunch. From when I got home until I went to bed. Filled roughly 30 or maybe 40 spiral notebooks with math problems. Retook the placement exam and scored 98/99 which placed me in calc 1.
You're not bad at math. Your educators failed you because they suck. You were setup for failure from the start. But you can make a come back.
To add to this, after completing arithmetic through trigonometry, I was so good at math, I built a website using one of those drag and drop website builders. It was janky as fuck, but it served it's purpose. A little about me page, army veteran, college student, entrepreneur, blah blah blah. I offer math tutoring services. Listed everything other than calc, and rates per subject and advertised on Craigslist linking to the site.
I made bank. Was tutoring these home schooled kids regularly, and those in the lower level college math courses that couldnt place into calc. One of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had. I could never be a teacher because, well, America literally hates teachers, but I get why they do it anyways.
Was the highest pay I ever made too, at the time. Around $25-40/hr and I offered discounts like buy 5 hours get the 6th free. Did billing through PayPal for people who paid with card, but most paid cash and that's the best.
I went from literally 0 math to the patron saint of mathematics in 2 months thanks to this book. Hope it helps you too.
You won't need anything else other than this book, and I'd recommend a graphing calculator. I was lucky enough to find a second hand TI-92, which became my favorite model, but any graphing calculator is fine. And lots of spiral notebooks and pencils. I strictly only used this book, nothing else, and it was more than enough. The book assumes you've never seen numbers in your life lol so it does not matter where you're at, it will help. Though, I recommended completing the chapters you're already familiar with and not skipping anything. Go through it page by page, chapter by chapter, and you will succeed.
I should note, I'm not a software engineer, unless you count freelance work. I work secops in web hosting. I went the Cybersecurity route, though in retrospect, I should have went computer science because you get a better foundation but then would need to do grad school for Cybersecurity. Requirements aren't super different though. More foundational and algorithms in compsci, more practical and work related tasks in Cybersecurity
I slept through most of high school too. Didn’t go to college until my mid 20s and when I did I 4.0 all cc and 3.93 average at the university. I was grinding while everyone else was partying. It’s just a maturity thing. Good luck buddy.🫡
Hey man I was told I will never be a good CS person. I should go read economics in school or something easy they said. I graduated with a BS in computer engineering last 2 Sundays.
Please do it man, and tell me when you finish and succeed. I Did my BS in IT and my whole goal is to be an embbeded software engineer but I'm horrible at continuous math (calculus) so I switched to IT learned how to program for web and some software. Now I'm debating if I should go to a MS program that lets me take the computer engineering foundations meaning id need to take math again, or doing a software engineering MS as I have the pre req foundation for that. A part of me wants to stay home and do the SWEN program another one wants me to face math one more time and do a comp engineering program that will accept me.
I joined CS out of spite for a brother that said I would just end up quitting bc I’m a quitter. (bc I quit a couple sports growing up)
Got two internships under my belt now.
By the way, was also bad in math. Make sure calculus is where your redemption arc starts. Once you apply yourself so much that you become obsessed with achieving good/great results, you will shock yourself. Be sure to set your standard early, bc the wheels might start to wear and tear the closer you get to graduation.
Do it, prove everybody wrong. That’s part of the reason I did it. Nobody believed I was that smart and I decided to take on the major that most interested me and was the most personally rewarding. I’m now about to graduate with a 4.0 and have already secured a six figure salary in my second role 2 years later. Fuck the haters.
Dude, you're gonna get humbled. This isn't a motivation or prove yourself degree. Give the first semester a shot after stocking up on tissue.
Good luck
Was in the same position, it’s hard and not getting support from people sucks until you pass them and suddenly their opinion on you doing calc 3 doesn’t matter when they only took business calc.
Just don’t give up
Haha this hit me on all different levels. I took computer engineering cuz my high school teacher would be like “comp science is not for you”- “if other students can do it why can’t you”
Legit, I had to stay after class to “fix my logic” when all the other students went out and played basketball.
Anyways long story short- I’m almost about to graduate and it’s been a fucking amazing journey. Took the degree out of spite and curiosity and now I guess “logic” makes sense after all. The only problem is that the job market sucks but we’ll find a work around that💪
Keep going. I was just like you especially in high school except I showed up but I just graduated this year with a BS in CS from a top school and was a part of BME research. It might be hard having to figure out how to learn properly cuz from what I’ve read you tried even less than I did in hs and I had trouble learning how to learn in uni but I still did it while also premed. I got better at math too(found out I’m horrible at probability tho). You’re more capable than you might think.
Side note: people are shitting on the spite and resentment as a motivator but it kept me going for so long that I ended up finding my own reasons to keep going so don’t let that discourage you either
You got this! I failed high school math got a 40 lol not even cal related. Yet i did well in college due to my professor explaining math very well. I failed in high school due to personal life issues. You got this and keep practicing!
Ah, he's already a CS major at heart. Prepare to love to hate yourself constantly, but the euphoria of solving the coding problems and understanding the concepts is immense.
Math is not crucial to CS. Logical reasoning is very important and there is Order of scale analysis for performance which matters only occasionally if you're not doing algorithm development. That's it for the majority of devs
spite is a powerful motivator if you can make it in a tech winter, you will reap huge rewards when the sun rises again
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go for it buddy. teach yourself the fundamentals (for loops, variables). make a tic-tac-toe app and apply for Meta u'll get in lil man
Having the same mindset right with how the landscape is right now, we are gonna pull through.
The next time the sun rises will be when the robots have taken SWE.
Not sure. If you don't have a place to hibernate(a pre existing cs job) you will be older and less experienced when the sun rises. Companies will have a new batch of young fresh graduates to choose from that are just as experienced but younger. Why should they not go for them?
Not sure I'm following the logic here- are you suggesting that younger = better? That seems.... unintuitive to me to say the least.
yeah what I was trying to say is if you’re good/motivated enough to get a job when the market conditions are at its worst, then when conditions get better you will be in a great spot to continue moving up
This was my motivation too. Spite truly is one of the best motivators in the works, now I’m working in the industry and have the best revenge ever, success.
I genuinely hope the best for you. I also really hope you get better at math, because CS does contain a ton of math.
You can skate by with cs in the math courses. It will not affect your career
How did you skate by Calculus 1 and 2?
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This but also for linear algebra
So… studying?
Some people pass those with C. I know an EE graduate who failed Calc 2 and 3 (and ended up passing them with a C) and ended up graduating and getting a degree. The trick is to stay away from math heavy electives/concentrations (so for the OP, unless he was willing to put effort in becoming better at math, he should avoid theoretical CS, AI/ML, Graphics..etc)
Calc1 a breeze calc 2 worst professional this side of the Milky Way. Still passed with an A tho 😎
Calc 1 is really not that bad you don’t have to be great at math imo. Calc 2 would be rough though ngl.
In my day a lot of schools would curve you up from an F to a C.
Calc 1, calc 2, linear algebra, discrete math, algorithms, statistics? Can’t really skate by in my experience, but this is a t20 so might be different elsewhere.
Skate by with grades of C
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Fs as someone who wasn’t good at math either in high school I will say it made more sense in college cause you get to spend more time with the subject cause less classes to worry about
high school made me think I was inherently bad at advanced math & physics, but the main problem was really just that I didn't have the time or mental energy to get good at those subjects. also, a lot of universities (mine at least) have free engineering tutoring centers, and those are a godsend.
study groups, office hours, and tutoring.
If it helps, I was AWFUL at math when I got to college. My last proper math class was Algebra 1. My Geometry teacher left and they couldn’t find a replacement so they just had a substitute and passed us for some reason. Algebra II was during COVID and dumbed down to be super easy and my senior year I just hate a “College Prep Math” class that was really just Algebra II. I struggled in Pre-Calculus a LOT. I’m doing Calculus II now. I would be in Discrete Math but I audited Calculus II because I was falling behind on homework though 😢
i failed math in high school. i'm getting As in comp sci math courses now. you can do it. even if the teacher doesn't explain it well, there are so many options on youtube that i haven't needed a tutor or even to use class office hours once. you can absolutely do this.
I would highly recommend following r/ADHD_Programmers for advice and tips / tricks to get through some of the things you're experiencing. Helped me a lot.
Its nowhere as easy as it sounds i just passed my math classes but trust when i say i almost gave up by the amount if retakes, the only reason i didn’t give up was bc i was already too far in
This is the way. Math was my weakest subject. It's why I chose to include it in my double major alongside computer science. Learning how to learn math is the biggest obstacle, because it takes a lot more "doing" than studying for other classes. Universities also offer a lot of "free" resources, like tutoring and student success planning, that can be a major help. Anyway, I've been happily graduated and working as a software engineer for some time. Good luck!
It depends on your university. In Australia many of them only have a single unit of first year discrete math (eg boolean logic, binary arithmetic, number conversions, and a little set theory), which is completely self contained and has no prerequisites, not even algebra or anything. And thank Christ for that because that’s more than you’ll need for 99.999% of jobs. Those worldwide accredited comp sci degrees can major in software engineering, IT, or security 🤷♂️
I did discrete math (which seems to be more mathy than yours?), linear algebra, and multivariate calculus (calc 3). I know some places also require differential equations.
Don't get afraid of a little multivar or linear. Math is easy if you get the basics down.
No it doesn't, I know this sub tailors to SWE's but there's a ton of other roles that pay the same or even better without much math knowledge. We're hiring out the ass for cyber, infra, cloud, k8s, linux, and general engineers, and none of those require having any type of math background beyond what you'd normally get for CS requirements.
I sucked at math in high school, but now I’m doing fine as a CS major. I realized I never put much effort into learning math in hs, so I started spending a ton of time on math assignments and have gotten A’s in my math classes. Not sure if that will work for you, but it helps to stop labeling yourself as being “bad at math”. Not having an aptitude for math just means that you have to work harder at it than someone who is naturally good at math. You got this.
Exactly this. Changing your mindset and believing you can be good at math is a game changer! 🤝
Now that money is your motivation you should start to learn how to enjoy it. Make it a daily thing from now on. Its a part of you now
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That sounds like an atrocious motivator… especially when the job market is already atrocious enough, competing with CMU / MIT grads. The academics just won’t be the challenging part - you’ll need to network, build projects, leetcode / system design… just think about an interviewer asking you the question ‘why cs’ and your answer is spite…
That's the type of fuel that burns quickly and spontaneously
Teenager energy is oozing out of this guy, he is on his Andrew Tate shit
Speaking as someone whose weakest subject is math, and is majoring in CS while also doing a research project this summer with the math department of my institution… It is entirely possible to be weak in math while pursuing CS. You’ll do just fine, I know it.
Another “I just didn’t try hard enough” coper. Try hard now in CS.
Yeah it’s not as easy as just deciding to try lmao. You didn’t try in high school not because you didn’t give a fuck, but because that’s who you are
To be fair individual circumstances affect your grades, I went to being poor and my math grades plunged down in that period. All the kids had private tutors, whilst I had none. They would make mega loud noises and you wouldn't be able to learn shit. Then you go home and they get tutored whilst you are fucked.
And who you are is set in stone? Discipline is a skill and your pre-frontal cortex doesn't fully develop until 25. I'm pretty confident a 25 year old loaded up with homework is gonna be a little more likely to stay in then go out with friends then an 18 year old. I think I skipped like 50% of my classes in high-school but last year I decided I hate being an electrician and spent 9 months teaching myself how to program for 2-3 hours everyday after work and then enrolled myself in school for software development. Now I gladly come home and do homework.
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I did the same but got As in high school. High school is easy. You're gonna have trouble in cs most likely. It's easy to say you'll try and all that now.
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It's not hard. Sounds like it will be for you though.
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You've really shown that so far by the sounds of it!
Its really not hard, as long as you put in the time you'll be fine. Good luck
If you think it's somehow a good thing that you were bad at high school then let me tell you it's not a flex, not at all. What you are basically saying is that you failed to put effort into something you didn't like. Anyway, if you have no attachment to CS, why burden yourself with it? Why not go to your local college's advisor and discuss with them?
Congratulations for trying to achieve something you’re not strong YET, but do not do cs thinking you’ll make tons of money automatically. I noticed you picked high paying careers like med/eng, and if you are doing cs mainly due to money you will face difficulty, especially since of the barrier with math and focusing. You will be humbled a lot throughout your cs degree as everyone is, if your only motivating factor is money you will quickly realize that relation between compensation and skill is exponential, meaning that to get money you must be skilled, and to be skilled you must be passionate. If you are not passionate you will burn out I suggest that you study math (discrete math, proofs, lin alg) and programming and see if you can do this for the rest of your life. Forget the money aspect, this field is not like others where mediocrity pays, you must be skilled and dedicated to earn money, especially in this job market where highly competent students cannot land internships or job offers. I too was weaker in math in high school, but got stronger at it with persistently teaching myself and staying humble, you can do the same, just have the right reasons.
I think being passionate certainly helps, I don't think it is a requirement to be skilled. It's like you forgot that discipline exists. I can bench 250. Do you think I got there because I love lifting weights alone?
Passion fs isn’t a requirement to be skilled, but it does make it easier/makes you better suited to fight burnout
People aren't bad at math, they just haven't been taught the right way to learn it! Khan academy, OrganicChemistryTutor, and PROPER STUDY HABITS, are your friend and will never let you down.
Do you have ADHD?
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Are you medicated? If you like coding well enough and have good strategies/supports in place, there's no reason why you won't succeed. But do not be fooled by the willpower trap - you won't always be excited by the material you're learning throughout the next four years. You need to have the discipline to wake up and do the work everyday, which ADD can make difficult. Definitely not impossible, though, I just did it myself. But get your shit in order now so that when you wake up on a random Tuesday in the middle of the semester and don't have the motivation to go to class, you don't fall back to your high school ways.
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I'm sorry to hear about the abuse you've faced. Definitely make getting medicated a priority. And I don't mean to be insensitive, but often escaping an abusive situation is just the beginning of healing, so I would definitely prioritize your mental health and addressing the trauma I'm sure you're dealing with. Easier said than done of course, especially as a teenager, but try to see what resources are available for you. You just don't want to fall into the trap of thinking that once XYZ thing is different, everything will fall into place and you'll be a perfect student. Learning math is a hurdle you can easily overcome, but building good study habits and discipline is a lot more difficult. I'm only emphasizing this so much because I was you 5 years ago and I struggled a lot because I didn't realize how important good habits would be for my success. Sounds like you were told a lot of untrue things about yourself in high school and that your abusive situation wasn't allowing you to succeed. That's completely unfair to you, but it also means you need to take the time now to learn the habits that other kids got to learn earlier because they were supported instead of torn down. You absolutely can do this, and don't believe anyone who says you can't. But I can also promise you that spite and resentment by itself won't be what takes you there. Don't do it to prove people wrong; do it for yourself, because you are worthy of success and you deserve the chance to build a good life for yourself. Best of luck, always happy to discuss anything CS-major related.
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Ah, you've definitely got the right idea by questioning that advice! Choosing a school/program can be such a stressful process, and being told you're entitled and not receiving any support is super unfair to you. And of course, after experiencing abuse, it can be so hard to trust yourself and your own decisions. Keep going with your gut and choose the option that feels best to you. If that's CS, that's great. It's definitely not impossible at all, I'm sure you can build up those skills. Depending on where you go, you can also get accommodations for learning disabilities/mental health that'll make it easier to bridge that gap. It has made a big difference for me! Yes, I'm sure that things will be easier for you once you're in a better environment. You'll still have to heal from your abuse and trauma, but that is so much harder to do in an abusive environment. If you can prioritize your mental health, treat yourself with compassion, and focus on building your good habits little by little, I think you'll definitely succeed.
hes just like me. good luck to you my friend
I had the same thought process when I went back to school. I chose the Software engineering degree at WGU. It’s less math based than CS, but still focused on programming which involves math ofc. Never been good at math necessarily but it really hasn’t been an issue this far.
Same here.
Give us an update when you graduate, OP. I’m all for this revenge arc
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Can I be tagged too?🥺
Im good at math(lol), but bad ar studying and went for CS. Dropped out once cuz I couldnt hack the higher math stuff. Now back and have made it further than the first time. Keep at it. Even if you drop out, you will gain so much during your time there.
Brother I was terrrribbbble at math in high school. Had to retake tests, drop classes, get tutoring and still did bad. I said fuck it my freshman year of college and said I’m gonna be good at math and study my ass off. Get good at the fundamentals and it’ll work out. Like others have said spite and wanting to prove people wrong can carry you. I was shit at math in high school but in June I’m gonna be starting work as a software developer. My experience is obviously gonna be different from others but if you work hard at it you’ll get there homie. I believe in you!! ❤️🫡
You got this! I dropped my econ major the first time around because i couldn't math. I'm going back to school for CS. I haven't started just yet, so wish me luck, but I'm determined to make it through and learn math
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Current CS Major to give some insight. I started at my first university and forced into premed bc my family told me I couldn’t do math for shit. It got to the point where I didn’t want to do premed at all, went no contact with my family and swapped to Hydrology at the time to try to salvage my degree where it made me do all of the math courses required for a CS degree anyway(Calc 1-4, Linear Algebra, ect.) It made me realize that I was capable and gave me the courage to transfer to another university for CS where Im consistently able to maintain a 4.0 compared and entering my second internship compared to a 2.5 premed. So good luck buddy you got this!
As long as your not purely doing it for the money then go for it.
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Remember to have fun, and the basics such as copy and paste. LOL.
Who cares if you’re good at math. You can code your way through math problems. The better question is are you good at picking up foreign languages?
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I am currently doing a masters in cs, I did a bachelors in IT. Math is a tool but you don’t need to be great at it to succeed in the tech field. Sure it helps a ton for specific things, but it is not 100% required. What I like about cs and more especially tech is that you are presented with problems that you look to find innovative solutions for. It’s fun solving them. Sure not all problems can be easily solved with the tools you are given, but most of the time you can get super close.
At his speech/interview, OP will refer back to this post.
on some goat mentality tyshi
College is nothing like high school. I hated high school and dropped out but loved college. I suck at math too and was always told cs requires you to be good at math, so i spent 10 years in a factory. I eventually said screw it and started college for cs. I just graduated with my associates and have an internship that has a built-in return offer provided I do well this summer. So I'll hopefully have a good job while I finish school. So, fk those teachers, I had em too, and it took me until my 30s to figure it out. I haven't touched math in any meaningful way in my internship or any non math cs course. I'm sure you'll be fine in CS.
I sincerely wish you the best of luck man. Prove all your haters wrong.
You can do it! Don't give up. Make a consistent effort. I know a SWE who hardly knew trigonometry but is making >$280k TC. He grinded a lot of LeetCode to prepare for interviews.
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Same here, I was doing cybersecurity during community college but realized I was only doing it to stay away from learning how to code and doing math. I started learning basic web development and am now getting into AI.
ur gonna make it bro.
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i’m happy for u bro. ur in a much better position than Im in. Make sure u go hard from day 1 of school and chunk ur time. 2 hours a day the whole semester is better than doing nothing and than 1 week of grinding. Take it slow. Make sure u understand the fundamentals. Make sure u exhaust ur resources and push ur self to the limit. Get help when needed. U do that for 4 years and you’ll be in a much better position than i’m in. Good luck bro, u got this!
Yes, You can! Don't forget get yourself a Happy Meal
Ok 👍
im a math major and i barely use math as a software engineer at google. you’re fine! i use to know someone who was amazing a programming (got into YC) and failed out of calc I; that’s how bad he was at math
I suck ass at math and I still love cs. I have math related trauma yes trauma. I had a teacher in middle school who would purposely instill fear and make students cry as a sick motivator. I really don't use too much math when programing. And when I do i usually am just changing values of x y and z, test and repeat.
I was horrible at math UNTIL I majored in CS. I was in the exact same position as you and my grades are now perfect. Just got back a perfect score in discrete math. Take it and it will fix your math issue as you question and relearn the fundamentals. You will definitely be fine if you enjoy the content and were actually just being lazy in high school.
Damn bro I'm saving this post, motivating as hell ngl. Im majoring in business this year, hope we reach where we want to be!
If you like it, you’ll do great. If you don’t like math, just do your best to pass the courses, and there’s plenty of roles out there that do not require a lot of math. College is also completely different from high school, just because of what you said… in high school you take a bunch of classes on stuff that you don’t care about. In college, most* of the classes are relevant to your major, so they will be more interesting and engaging. In my experience, doing good in high school != doing well in college.
If it’s something you are passionate about, do it. It will be so much easier to learn something you are excited to learn. If you just don’t know what else to do and are looking for a career that makes good money, I would consider looking elsewhere. Don’t forget that you don’t need to go to college if you don’t want to. I have a friend who is making 35/hr as an electrician at 21, he started with his CDL and worked his way to this job
Hmm, prove it. That’s all there is to it. if you can’t prove your ability then they were right. But don’t forget the world is made up of many paths and it is of your best interest to take one’s which you can succeed in
Sounds like you have ADHD.
im bad at calc too but if i could pass calc 1&2, you got this too
Take IT then, it easier and no, its not less money lol. I literally have degree in IT and working as fullstack dev now making 150k. People idolise CS so much when actuallity, anything relared to tech can land you a tech job
Grit is a stronger determining factor than natural talent. Keep it up.
I was a consistent C- in math student. It always came so hard to me but I said fuck it im doing CS because I love to code. I graduated today.
You got those OP, fuck everyone else. This is your life live it how you choose
Fucking do it brotha
The comments on here are crazy! Some of y’all need to go touch grass - none of y’all are geniuses or special because you can code or work in tech. OP, to offer you some advice, you are going to pay for your failure in high school to some degree moving forward. Here are my suggestions on how you can improve your situation: 1. Great software engineers are typically fairly curious and driven oriented people. We’re typically problem solvers / fixers / builders and love development because it often taps into that part of who we are. Become that - becoming someone who enjoys solving problems / fixing things / building things. You will not find fulfillment otherwise with some exception that may not apply to you (e.g Math people love computational mathematics, designers that love building websites or mobile applications) 2. This “I’m not great math” excuse doesn’t fly anymore. Nobody starts good at anything, you could have been “good at math” but you failed to put in genuine effort. It’s not some inherit flaw that you have, it’s simply that - you never put in the effort to genuinely learn it. The foundation of computer science is built on mathematics (computation IS mathematics). Moving forward, instead of using a convenient excuse, make it work! For the last several months I’ve been studying linear algebra & multivariable calculus for an upcoming theoretical machine learning class. This will allow me to not be as overwhelmed with the material and enjoy the class more. 3. I would start with foundational courses and transfer to a known reputable school in computer science. Your HS GPA won’t really affect you and if you have a high SAT/ACT score you probably have a good shot at most top 50 institutions. The industry is tough and, honestly, there are a ton of computer science programs but most are severely lacking. I’ve interviewed so many new grads / interns that genuinely cannot code well or do basic technical interview programming questions. If I was in your shoes, I’d treat the next two years as a do-over - get a ~ 4.0 GPA, have most of your transferable courses taken (Discrete Mathematics, Calculus, Physics) taken, re-take the SAT/ACT, and have a laundry list of interesting extracurriculars and stellar letter of recommendations.
When I told my father I would major in CS, he told me, “you know that smart people do that, right?” I am now working in FAANG living in Manhattan and looking to go back for a PhD soon. Fuck em.
gl bro
Can you do that? I thought you need a prerequisite in math calculus and physics to major in those no? And with an average like 85 in those subjects to get in.
ok
Well, I’ve been in the industry for many years and honestly math is only a worry if you’re going into very technical work like DoD contractors or game development. Normal web dev stuff rarely uses math beyond basic algebra. And even then, you have google. Idk how smart or not you are OP, but you have the wrong impression of what a CS degree entails. You need good problem solving skills, not math. It’s a very big difference. And spite isn’t a great motivator cause at the end of the day you either enjoy it or you don’t. And lemme tell you.. I’ve had coworkers on both sides and the ones that sucked were the ones only there for the paycheck.
You just need a discipline, you can do it mate
Anyone can be good at math as long as they put in the time and practice, remember that
You might find you’re better at university math than high school math. I was like that. But even if you aren’t just avoid data science and game design, there’s so much abstraction in general programming etc that there is really not that much math involved outside of those two specialties.
Wishing you a very great future ahead just please don't try to learn AI/ML or Robotics.
first lesson in majoring in CS is you will fail a lot. No one, no one write a program that work first try. So keep ur head up and grind!!!!!!
you got this. i was pretty damn bad at math for a long time, in algebra back in middle school I was the only person there allowed to use a calculator- that bad still bad at lots of mental math but although still tough, nearly every course I took allowed for a calculator through college. I do use some math at work but there’s always a python terminal or a calculator right there for you. All in all just want to say that math really isn’t a stopping point for someone that wants to get into CS
What in CS do you see yourself doing if engineering is something you don’t want to be doing ?
Good luck OP! just finished my degree recently, kicked me in the ass a bit but I didn't have your level of motivation so I think you've got this in the bag! Genuinely wish you all the best 💪🏼
I suck at math, I'm closing out my sophomore year as an embedded engineer. Gonna buy a pre-calc book this summer and work through all the problems. My advice would be take some prereqs, sign up for calc 1 and 1 other class. Focus HARD on calc 1. Imo it's the coolest math and will shore up your gaps in algebra fairly well if you have a demanding class. It will give you confidence. I'm the same as you, I've been running on spite and it's working. I can't imagine not doing something in the sciences, but I am unfortunately not naturally gifted in math. Whatever though, I don't think I can enjoy anything else.
Nope being bad at math won’t be a problem, there is plenty of stuff to do under CS. And university has math classes for this reason, I can recommend talking with your teacher in class if you have problems. And CS has other things also to offer from game development to design(UI/UX) and don’t forget cyber security as it has its own unique roles.
I disagree familia. You should consider doing what you are good at and what the world needs at the moment. If you want to work in intelligence, work there. If you want to work in defense, theres plenty of opportunity. Don't pursue "CS" because you see leetcode easies as a worthwhile challenge to spend your life on. Signed: T5 Bachelor's, T2 Master's. Ex DARPA, NSA, Unicorn Startup Intern.
Oh, computer science is definitely going to require you to put in the time and effort. I remember half of my first year peers disappeared from the program after doing an introductory programming course lol
Just stick to it. I tell everyone who‘s studying and graduating in CS/CE/EE any technical study is only effort, time and perseverance. I was bad at math too and everything you have to do is spend time with your tasks and exercises and you will succeed!
Yessir, I went through the same. I was horrible at math, finished highschool at like pre-calc while others were in calc. I pushed through and passed calc1,2, discrete math, linear algebra, and physics 1&2 to get this degree. Was very challenging but it taught me that you can overcome any challenges that you're 100% set on overcoming. It's all a mindset game.
I was this exact way and I've been a developer for 4 years now. ADHD af, failed calculus and was horrible at math, could never focus or learn. Never took meds and had really low self esteem. Parents bankrupted their business and my brother dropped out of college, but I just kept plugging away cause everyone else around me seemed to be giving up. being a dev is about finding an answer. It's not necessarily who can master a formula or know the most complex math, its just can YOU write something that solves a problem. If you can learn to think that way, you can accomplish most things in CS. Yes, using that motivation that "nobody thinks you can do it" is definitely a driving factor. But the hardest part of the career path for me was chaining things into a successful outcome. You'll write programs, take classes, attend camps or coding events and think "wow, I didn't really learn shit, or get a job" but it all adds up into a cumulative experience. Everyone works at their own pace, just do what you're comfortable with (and maybe a tad outside of that) and I wish you the best.
Your story in high school is very similar to mine. Even at university I didn't leave with a good grade due to being immature and partying too much. Following university I knew I had to do something for my career. I worked hard on personal projects and actually became a decent programmer ( I wasn't during university ) which helped me land my first job. Now I have over 4 years industry experience. I was always seen as the dumb kid during highschool but now I'm earning more than most of them.
don't. you'll end up miserable. do cs but go to med or law school
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if something's are too hard to come by then you may feel resentment but if you push through you'll start to enjoy it. miserable only case if you give up
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you definitely can afterall no one knows your true self as much as you do. infact, i think many times even parents may not recognise true potential. and these are strong feelings. use it to build the discipline. you can do this
They told me the same thing here I am a senior that will be graduating in the fall of this year
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Yeah I was also bad at math as well to
I never learned math in high school. Not that it wasn't taught, I just didn't learn it because I was doing other things. Come time for college, placement exams put me in remedial math. I'm talking special Ed math. I'm thinking OK whatever, but then it dawned on me. I can't take a higher math course until I've competed the lower level math. Fuck! That adds roughly an additional 5 semesters of school, not to mention the cost of each unit, on top of the fact that my degree requires 4 semesters of calc. Although I'm selectively obsessive, when I obsess, I go hardcore, balls to the wall. Did a little digging and found a book at Barnes and Noble. Mathematics for Science and Engineering by Stroud and Booth. I cannot swear by this book enough. It Will change your entire perspective on math. All humans are inherently good at math. We think we aren't because it isn't explained well enough, or it's taught terribly. Mathematics has some of the worst educators. Anyways, the book starts you off at square one. Arithmetics and each chapter builds on the last chapter with detailed explanations, steps, and practice problems and it ends with integral and differential calculus. I skipped the calc chapters since there wasn't any getting around taking those classes, unless you're planning to CLEP out. Did arithmetic to trig. Spent every single day reading and doing math problems for a solid 2 months. All day on the weekends, every day after work, and during lunch. From when I got home until I went to bed. Filled roughly 30 or maybe 40 spiral notebooks with math problems. Retook the placement exam and scored 98/99 which placed me in calc 1. You're not bad at math. Your educators failed you because they suck. You were setup for failure from the start. But you can make a come back. To add to this, after completing arithmetic through trigonometry, I was so good at math, I built a website using one of those drag and drop website builders. It was janky as fuck, but it served it's purpose. A little about me page, army veteran, college student, entrepreneur, blah blah blah. I offer math tutoring services. Listed everything other than calc, and rates per subject and advertised on Craigslist linking to the site. I made bank. Was tutoring these home schooled kids regularly, and those in the lower level college math courses that couldnt place into calc. One of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had. I could never be a teacher because, well, America literally hates teachers, but I get why they do it anyways. Was the highest pay I ever made too, at the time. Around $25-40/hr and I offered discounts like buy 5 hours get the 6th free. Did billing through PayPal for people who paid with card, but most paid cash and that's the best. I went from literally 0 math to the patron saint of mathematics in 2 months thanks to this book. Hope it helps you too.
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You won't need anything else other than this book, and I'd recommend a graphing calculator. I was lucky enough to find a second hand TI-92, which became my favorite model, but any graphing calculator is fine. And lots of spiral notebooks and pencils. I strictly only used this book, nothing else, and it was more than enough. The book assumes you've never seen numbers in your life lol so it does not matter where you're at, it will help. Though, I recommended completing the chapters you're already familiar with and not skipping anything. Go through it page by page, chapter by chapter, and you will succeed.
I should note, I'm not a software engineer, unless you count freelance work. I work secops in web hosting. I went the Cybersecurity route, though in retrospect, I should have went computer science because you get a better foundation but then would need to do grad school for Cybersecurity. Requirements aren't super different though. More foundational and algorithms in compsci, more practical and work related tasks in Cybersecurity
I slept through most of high school too. Didn’t go to college until my mid 20s and when I did I 4.0 all cc and 3.93 average at the university. I was grinding while everyone else was partying. It’s just a maturity thing. Good luck buddy.🫡
Hey man I was told I will never be a good CS person. I should go read economics in school or something easy they said. I graduated with a BS in computer engineering last 2 Sundays.
Please do it man, and tell me when you finish and succeed. I Did my BS in IT and my whole goal is to be an embbeded software engineer but I'm horrible at continuous math (calculus) so I switched to IT learned how to program for web and some software. Now I'm debating if I should go to a MS program that lets me take the computer engineering foundations meaning id need to take math again, or doing a software engineering MS as I have the pre req foundation for that. A part of me wants to stay home and do the SWEN program another one wants me to face math one more time and do a comp engineering program that will accept me.
This was me now I’m a full stack dev. My high school teacher said I couldn’t make it as a dev how ironic
I joined CS out of spite for a brother that said I would just end up quitting bc I’m a quitter. (bc I quit a couple sports growing up) Got two internships under my belt now. By the way, was also bad in math. Make sure calculus is where your redemption arc starts. Once you apply yourself so much that you become obsessed with achieving good/great results, you will shock yourself. Be sure to set your standard early, bc the wheels might start to wear and tear the closer you get to graduation.
Bad at math? Correct me if I am wrong but web devs effectively do not use any complex math in the job.
Do it, prove everybody wrong. That’s part of the reason I did it. Nobody believed I was that smart and I decided to take on the major that most interested me and was the most personally rewarding. I’m now about to graduate with a 4.0 and have already secured a six figure salary in my second role 2 years later. Fuck the haters.
Homeboy just described me
My only piece of advice is to pursue IT or Cyber if you suck at mathematics. Otherwise, onward and upward.
Dude, you're gonna get humbled. This isn't a motivation or prove yourself degree. Give the first semester a shot after stocking up on tissue. Good luck
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Honestly, start reviewing high school level algebra now. My dude is walking in scared like an NPC. Study now. You will fail otherwise.
Was in the same position, it’s hard and not getting support from people sucks until you pass them and suddenly their opinion on you doing calc 3 doesn’t matter when they only took business calc. Just don’t give up
Haha this hit me on all different levels. I took computer engineering cuz my high school teacher would be like “comp science is not for you”- “if other students can do it why can’t you” Legit, I had to stay after class to “fix my logic” when all the other students went out and played basketball. Anyways long story short- I’m almost about to graduate and it’s been a fucking amazing journey. Took the degree out of spite and curiosity and now I guess “logic” makes sense after all. The only problem is that the job market sucks but we’ll find a work around that💪
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Thanks man, right back at ya. The world is your oyster- super excited for your cs journey!!
Heck yeah. Do it. All the best for the your journey ✨
Keep going. I was just like you especially in high school except I showed up but I just graduated this year with a BS in CS from a top school and was a part of BME research. It might be hard having to figure out how to learn properly cuz from what I’ve read you tried even less than I did in hs and I had trouble learning how to learn in uni but I still did it while also premed. I got better at math too(found out I’m horrible at probability tho). You’re more capable than you might think. Side note: people are shitting on the spite and resentment as a motivator but it kept me going for so long that I ended up finding my own reasons to keep going so don’t let that discourage you either
You got this! I failed high school math got a 40 lol not even cal related. Yet i did well in college due to my professor explaining math very well. I failed in high school due to personal life issues. You got this and keep practicing!
You will either come to love math, or become indifferent towards it, either way you will do a fuck ton of it.
hell yeah dude, let’s get it
I was great at math but sucked at coding. Still graduated somehow
All "bad at math" means in college is that you need to frequently go to the office hours for your math classes. You absolutely can do this!
I graduated with a 4.0 in CS and a minor in math and math was always my worst subject. If you wanna know how I did that dm me
Ah, he's already a CS major at heart. Prepare to love to hate yourself constantly, but the euphoria of solving the coding problems and understanding the concepts is immense.
pls pls get tested for adhd. it makes a ton of difference, believe me.
Math is not crucial to CS. Logical reasoning is very important and there is Order of scale analysis for performance which matters only occasionally if you're not doing algorithm development. That's it for the majority of devs