How much Calculus?

[DonRotolo]

After almost 30 years since my EE degree, I can't say I use Calculus much. But then again I was never a design engineer, I have always had positions where I supported existing product. These days I write training for a living.

But having said that, and noting that although I see the beauty in math and how it describes the physical world, knowing and understanding calculus was absolutely essential to my career. You see, in order to support a product (or write training about it) you must understand the design. And for that, you need to know calculus, otherwise you get lost pretty quick.

Some advice I wish I had as a college freshman: If you don't understand it, or are struggling to keep up, ask for help. Sometimes you need to look beyond your professor (there may be a personality difference), but once you find someone who can explain it in a way YOU understand, it gets a LOT easier.