Still double checking on it...

[auddess]

I could have saved myself some time and a lot of money by just using the MIT open courses online to gauge my interest in further statistical studies.

...evidently I really do just like dealing with little logic problems on the job and really simple statistics, and I don't think I'd be interested enough in the details to get through 2 years of

Comments

You Could Have Called Me

[quale]

Apparently listening to me explain statistics convinced my students very very quickly they had absolutely no interest in learning more about the subject :-(

Though I guess talking to me might not work since I'm actually fairly decent at explaining things to my students one on one. I just have all the wrong instincts about what needs to be explained.

Though I guess shouldn't be that unexpected for someone who went into math as a result of finding the usual explanations totally unsatisfying. I actually remember in particular it was Mr. Shaw's proof of the fundamental theorem that inspired me to buy the book on sequences and series and that is exactly the sort of explanation I think my students want.

Re: You Could Have Called Me

[auddess]

=(

I don't know what magical wishful bullshit was going through my brain. I think somehow I thought that my dislike of math at Tech was all Tech and when I tried to do math outside of tech suddenly I would like it again like I did in high school.

Nope, turns out that I'm just one of those people you look down on that are great academically but not actually that intelligent.

Re: You Could Have Called Me

[quale]

I don't think you remember who I look down on.

I look down on those people who are grade grubbing anal retentive little snobs, e.g., those people who love following procedures and want to be praised because they are human computers. You were never that person.

You liked math in HS but not at tech for the simple reason that you were really good at it when you took it in HS but when you took it at tech you were only average.

Sadly, this is largely a self-fufilling prophecy. At every level of math the biggest hurdle to doing it is the belief that one is smart enough to do it well. If you believe that, no matter why, you can let yourself think creatively and try the false starts and incorrect ideas necessery to succeed. If you think you suck then you groan and feel, "I don't know how to do this," and waste all the time you spend staring at the problem

Re: You Could Have Called Me

[auddess]

To be honest, I felt like that I could do the math if I wanted to...

I just didn't truly *want* to.

I also actually disagree with you that the biggest hurdle to doing math is the belief that one is smart enough. I've met plenty of people who I doubt have the brain pathways necessary to do highly analytical math.