I know what I do not want to remember

My son is in second year of electrical engineering, and being remote schooled this semester due to the flue. He is finishing up his math and physics and starting on basic electrical circuits.

I have been listening to some of his lectures while I work on other stuff. I have to say the math and physics make my brain hurt, and have decided at my age that I do not want that pain. I had all these classes, but it has been almost 40 years ago.

I am enjoying working on the circuit homework with him.

Differential equations and Laplace transforms, just too much for me.

But they are so elegant and make solving the circuit equations so much easier. I am working through Hankel and Bessel functions right now for cylindrical waves for my masters. I guess I just like the pain.

Got thru four quarters of calculus, and differential equations. Never used any of that stuff again in a 45 year engineering career. For me the common sense I learned from old farmer dad solved the rest of the problems

(quoted from post at 22:57:45 04/01/20) Differential equations and Laplace transforms, just too much for me.

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Damn near gave me ulcers, but I some how powered through it!

I thought about going back to school then I decided I was barely smart enough to make it through the first time

My roommate tried to explain Boolian algebra to me. No go. Of course, he's wealthy now, and I'm still working on an old tractor.

It has been 42 years for me since graduation, about 30 years ago I took a refresher course for the PE exam. Today I barely recognize the terminology, let alone know how to use it.

Ha, Laplace transforms- long time since I thought of that foul word!

(quoted from post at 01:57:07 04/02/20) Ha, Laplace transforms- long time since I thought of that foul word!

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got that right!

Son has been a civil engineer for about 20 years, he also said he's never used any of the calculus or advanced math stuff- calculators now have pretty much made all that obsolete. I was going to be a Civil Engineer myself, but couldn't figure out calculus. Then went to law school when I was 36, and did pretty well. I think it helped to have 15 years of working under my belt, also being married so not chasing girls.

BTDT Graduated ECE 39 years ago. Calc 1,2,3, diffyeq, matrix methods, probability. Basically it was all math.

Yes, sophomore year EE is a bear. Laplace transforms and differential equations were no fun for me.

Geese, and here I was struggling to help my son with 8th grade math. I don?t even try to help the daughter in 5th grade. She is still learning the ?new? math - I have no clue what to do with that.

22 years ago my boy took EE classes to become a med tech.

I never thought an MBA would be that valuable.
My son is now head of IT security for an insurance company. He has 12 people working on his team. He couldn't be the head of a department without a business degree.

Many times a kids go to college for one thing and end up working in a totally different field.

My son always loved computers. Build and repaired computers when in HS. So IT security was a result of his understanding of computers back when some people were afraid of them.

How many times do you use all the stuff you learned in college?

I majored in math and physics. I too loved electronics back when tubes were being replaced with transistors. TV's were called hybrids, half tube half solid state.

My brother got into electronics too when he became my sister. We now call him a trans sister.
geo.

Geeeeeeeeeee David, you think you have it bad it was OVER FIFTY YEARS ago I was an Electrical Engineering student at Purdue University and I even took a course in vacuum tubes lol. See why I always tell people after I offer electrical advice NO WARRANTY !!!!

Indeed Calculus, Physics, Differential Equations, Electronics of Solids (involved Quantum Mechanics) WERE EXTRMEMLY DIFFICULT grrrrrrr

While I used those subjects over my career, it was the actual hands on design experience and especially all the National Electrical Code (NEC) Seminars and Workshops I attended that provided a big part of my education. That's one reason why I always ask people to consider professional advice in addition to lay person advice where fire and life safety are concerned. If that wasn't enough "punishment" on my old brains hard drive then later in life I graduated from Law School and can't decide which course (Law or Electrical Engineering) was the toughest ????????

Thanks David for the advice yourself and other fine professional electricians and engineers who frequent this board are kind enough to offer. I try my best to help whenever I can.

Take care all and keep safe

God Bless America in these difficult times, keep her safe strong and great

John T BSEE,JD

I don't use much of the actual class material I had in college now, but what I learned before that made me successful in school and work. I imagine it was my parents who stressed the idea that it was most important to "find out what your supervisor wants and how you can give it to them". Whether teachers, bosses or customers, you have to give them what they want, especially if they are not getting it from someone else. Some folks, like SWMBO, can make that very difficult.

John,
I too have forgotten most of the electrical courses Graduated in 63 from

penstate with an EET , been working on machinery and welding cast iron for

the last 40 years. We were the last class to be taught tubes.

george