One of my regrets is that I never was able to master calculus as an undergrad. I changed my major from chemistry to political science when I ran head-on into Calculus I. Later, when I bought an Apple ][+ in 1978, I discovered what I really should have been doing and studying -- computer programming. I did program professionally for about 10 years but probably could have done a lot more with a stronger math background.
So, today I have time and there are plenty of resources. I've recently started using Khan Academy videos and programming to start my quest. The whole thing appeals to my short attention span and the game aspects of acquiring points along the way. The mastery tasks allow me to make progress and refresh my memory of lots of long forgotten facts about geometry and trig. I especially like the ability to access a quick hint or dip into a longer Youtube video along the way.
I also took a look at some of the other subject areas and found them to be less appealing. For example, the economics material consists mainly of videos and open-ended questions. The MOOCs I've participated in seem much more useful for this kind of subject matter.
Now the question is how long I stick with the math!
So, today I have time and there are plenty of resources. I've recently started using Khan Academy videos and programming to start my quest. The whole thing appeals to my short attention span and the game aspects of acquiring points along the way. The mastery tasks allow me to make progress and refresh my memory of lots of long forgotten facts about geometry and trig. I especially like the ability to access a quick hint or dip into a longer Youtube video along the way.
I also took a look at some of the other subject areas and found them to be less appealing. For example, the economics material consists mainly of videos and open-ended questions. The MOOCs I've participated in seem much more useful for this kind of subject matter.
Now the question is how long I stick with the math!
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