Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cisco kid]

First off, let me tell you about how bad I was at math.

I was never very good at math, because I hated it and I didn't put enough effort into learning the language. I majored in Speech/Rhetoric Communication (toilet paper degree) and now I'm thinking about retraining myself in math. If I study on my own for a year, I think I can get myself back up to a level where I won't have to retake a bunch of lower level classes all over again.

This is my total math experience:

remedial math basics
pre-algebra
college algebra
finite math
business calculus (2x failed once, D the second time)


So what I want to do is study at home, maybe online or with s/w, and bring myself up to calculus level so I can go back to school and get an engineering degree. I know now that even though I never liked math, I am capable of doing it if I put enough effort into it.

What I don't want to do if I can help it, is sit through Textbooks of math. So I'm looking for an alternative in s/w or websites.


Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Globutron]

I've been contemplating the same thing.

My ability stretches as far as the multiplication table up to 12, pretty much so I have a long way, but I don't plan on pursuing for many years. But My interest in Physics is so high and true that I have to learn maths if I want a true understanding.

Not that this helps but it's good to know someone else is going to go through the torture before me.

[youtuber]

[Dazed and Confused]

I'm currently studying math too. Not because I want to be an engineer but because I'd like to take the GRE and go to grad school eventually. I got a textbook from the states and then found a bright engineering student to exchange English lessons with. I've had 3 so far and 2 have worked out just fine. One wanted help on his grad school applications to US schools and the other wanted to improve his TOEIC & OPIC scores. The third was a total flake and I'll probably look for someone else soon.

[cisco kid]

[Julius]

I failed math at GCSE level (16 yrs old).
I gained entry into A-levels on the condition that I would re-take maths and pass it before i graduated.
However I switched A-level schools in the 2nd term and they didn't bother to check.
Thus I became probably one of the few to pass 3 A-levels without having ever passed maths.
my university admitted me on the basis of those A-levels..then i got my Bachelors degree.

Just wondering-If I want to do a MA, will I have to first go back and take school-level maths again?

[jvalmer]

Engineering is math heavy. In one year (2 semesters) you'll probably have to take 11 or 12 course. Most majors only take 10 courses in 2 semesters. And of the 11, or 12, courses 8 of them will require a solid foundation in advanced math. I'd say the first 2 years is probably the most math intensive, while the last 2 years you'll use just portions of what you learned the first 2 years.

If you're insistent in engineering I'd recommend going into civil engineering. Society will always do some kind of construction. Although it isn't the sexiest field, it's the oldest, least popular, the most fundamental and stable field. And some engineers may consider it the easiest of the engineering branches.

As someone mentioned you'll be studying a lot. Not only are there highly motivated foreign students, but the top 20% type students that got straight A's through high school without even trying. And a lot of those students don't make it past their 1st year. 80% of students will be working on labs, assignments, studying and working on reports virtually 24/7. And the job market isn't what it used be like, a lot of people with engineering degrees are underemployed. Also, the burnout rate for some fields of engineering is high. It makes teaching look like a walk in the park. It isn't fun.