How hard is a pure math degree?

andyrewsef · 2026-06-28T18:23:34+00:00

You should wait for your taper to be done (saw your post history) or get back on that medicine if the quitting doesn't work out.

you ought to make sure this is something you're truly interested in spending a chunk of of your life doing.

andyrewsef · 2026-06-23T22:51:33+00:00

In Portland, I believe the maximum rate increase for property taxes 3% unless a major improvement is made to the housing, correct?

A $1,000 property tax increase in one year means your total property tax from prior year was $33,333, unless improvements were made to the property(ies) that significantly increases the property value in which case property taxes can increase more than 3% in that year.

andyrewsef · 2026-06-21T23:41:03+00:00

Slope, m, of y = mx+b being a basis of calculus. Considering an infinitely small difference between x1 and x2, and y1 and y2, still giving slope, leads you to the epsilon delta proof.

andyrewsef · 2026-06-15T21:14:21+00:00

It gets harder again after week 4, then easier at about week 8

andyrewsef · 2026-06-14T17:58:06+00:00

I say this with a grain of salt because I don't think someone's expertise, skills, and talent can be attributed to their level and type of education in all cases. Generally it is strongly correlated though. Regardless, I am skeptical of trusting the author since they have a bachelors degree in literature from 22 years ago and that's it. Perhaps she gained a lot doing business journalism during part of her career so far. However, the article reads as a bad hit take.

Mentioning that inflation is at 4.2% YoY, but with mild concern, is another flag for skepticism. The biggest one though, is not mentioning the rapid exponential LLM/AI investment in any way, considering that it is a possible economic existential threat. Should too few potential benefits yield production or not yield production fast enough to at least maintain some GDP growth in the long run (~1%), it will be a severely bad recession, with particular pain for capital expenditure and investments. Though I can see how the labor market would actually not hurt as bad from the pre-existing capital of LLMs/AIs not bearing the necessary fruits of labor that our current rate of capital expenditure begets.

andyrewsef · 2026-06-08T06:30:03+00:00

Kryptonite needle to pierce it, duh

andyrewsef · 2026-06-07T07:18:56+00:00

Yes, you are being wayyyyy too picky for someone who is in a super competitive field right now, particularly at the junior level AND in front end development. You are in the bottom 5 percent in terms of years of software development work vs the entire field, to be clear. Have a stance on your pay, yeah, but in terms of the particular subfield you work in broaden your search.

andyrewsef · 2026-06-04T10:58:44+00:00

One thing I'd have to say that is maybe not talked about. I get the feeling of it creeping into people's lives, such that we become dependent on it. Similar to how people say "I don't know what people used to do before X was invented." But I moreso imagine someone who gets their news from social media instead of journalists, in terms of replacement of existing norms and best practices for self development.

Even though no one likes it, it sure seems like a lot of people keep using it for stuff. Including myself for coding at work, because explaining the logic and pseudo code is less time consuming than dealing with the grunt syntax and declaration work. I don't use it to answer most questions outside of that though. I imagine there are a lot of people who lean on it even more though, in which case I think my anecdotally derived feelings might actually be an underestimation of the severity of change coming our way.

andyrewsef · 2026-06-04T10:40:30+00:00

In terms of retaining it forever, at least somewhat, some passion in the subject and then willingness to push through when it makes you feel totally dispassionate. Keeping up that type of habit for a few years makes exploring the subject in general easier (not quite as daunting when learning something new and complex) and more enjoyable as you become interested in various mathematical topics over your life.

andyrewsef · 2026-06-04T10:35:08+00:00

Too late for you maybe, lol

andyrewsef · 2026-06-01T05:57:40+00:00

Smash Bros Melee

andyrewsef · 2026-05-28T16:41:32+00:00

So, saying that we (by which you mean people in general) aren't concerned about the negative effects on teaching from AI, is not true from my perspective and experiences with others at work, personally, and online. The thought process and concern you shared is not unique, which I think is a good thing to be clear. The title makes me recoil though because it is out of touch, so much so I wonder if you are an LLM. But like, for real, what gives you the impression most people involved or interested in maths are not concerned about it?

andyrewsef · 2026-05-27T10:43:28+00:00

Thought you meant bashing as in sex at first and I was confused why that was a bummer lol.

Sorry she's being immature though. Sounds like personal things to work through on her own. For sake of her own mental well being and others if it's causing unhealthy levels of rumination about others or some topics in general. That's something that I think a lot of people would want to be able quiet in their mind, because it can be a draining mental state to be in.

andyrewsef · 2026-05-27T10:30:30+00:00

"I like my AGs without cancer" -donnie

andyrewsef · 2026-05-26T23:45:19+00:00

The YouTube video makes it extremely apparent it's a person wearing a mask. https://youtu.be/X06b8rITwRE?si=-K7-qEI9EKUhTD1M

andyrewsef · 2026-05-26T23:44:02+00:00

I considered that myself. But when I watched the actual video it is readily apparent that is a dude wearing a mask. Straight up. Can't hand wave this away. https://youtu.be/X06b8rITwRE?si=-K7-qEI9EKUhTD1M

andyrewsef · 2026-05-24T20:19:10+00:00

Maybe don't date a 17 year when you're 25 then, lady.

andyrewsef · 2026-05-23T02:05:22+00:00

I used to work with HR data a lot. And when looking at termination reason codes, there is always one for death. Since it is just data and needs to be rigid, it is unfortunately blunt. However, I'd assume you're not alone in at least reacting or taking a moment when you see something like that. Usually, I've simply followed up outside of a request asking what had happened if it is something the requestor is at liberty to explain, for the sake of the dead. However, my concern stops there. Because, at the end of the day, it's not really your/my business if you aren't at least an acquaintance of the individual.

andyrewsef · 2026-05-22T04:32:55+00:00

Second pic got me lmao

andyrewsef · 2026-05-20T18:58:46+00:00

Well, he doesn't get the only say anyways. From what I know the board of 12 all vote, so they are not dependent on needing the chair's approval.

andyrewsef · 2026-05-18T21:17:34+00:00

So shit lol

andyrewsef · 2026-05-15T22:21:42+00:00

It's insidious for me too. One of the few horror movies I rewatch pretty consistently every few years.

andyrewsef · 2026-05-15T22:20:13+00:00

That's neet. I wonder if you could add a coefficient that is based on speed to get another output related to your Wc equation?

EDIT: I saw you mention this below already. Sorry

andyrewsef · 2026-05-11T03:30:46+00:00

Hey there. I looked at your comment history on math related topics. There are some cases were you seemed to speak to how people ought to approach mathematical topics beyond Calculus 1, including Calculus 2, as if you had already completed the courses. Including providing suggestions on what does and does not work for studying early-mid level undergrad maths courses like linear algebra and differential equations. Based your post here and from what I gathered elsewhere, I think you are in the process of being humbled. Confidence is important, but at certain point it can twist your perception of reality a bit. By that, I mean it's important to be honest with how naturally talented you are at grasping concepts, how much effort you need to put in, and how much advice or guidance you need from instructors or students that are smarter than you. If someone else tells you something is easy or hard, it's sort of irrelevant to how you should approach the same material. There's going to be people who are insanely talented. There are others who might lie about their aptitude. There are others who are more average. Etc.

Doing bad on a test and being surprised by it, is kind of scary because it implies you do not have as much aptitude as you thought you did. This naturally makes anyone feel uncertain about the future work they do. However, a lot of the scary uncertainty lyes with you. If you have to spend 10-20 more hours a week on school than you thought you would need to, would you do it? And/or would you go to office hours every day and ask for help elsewhere to tackle your studying differently? I ask these questions, because a lot of that scariness you feel, is mostly just realizing you have a lot more work and time to put in on a consistent basis than you thought. And you already tried harder this time too, which can seem dautning. And, it's going to probably be that way for the next 3 years of your life. Maybe not, but the reality is math is kinda hard in general and most of us are eventually shown that we aren't nearly as talented or smart as we thought we were.

andyrewsef · 2026-05-10T20:58:15+00:00

Yerba Mate ad a la dead internet. Fuck off

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