It is known that a good programmer must have many skills. In addition to being able to program, he should have general IT knowledge, know English, be able to think logically, be able to solve problems, search for information, etc. Most programmers are so-called scientific minds and are predisposed to learning subjects such as computer science or mathematics. But does a programmer really need to know mathematics? Is a person who is a humanist not suitable to be a programmer? Do you need to know mathematics at an advanced level to become a programmer? If you were always weaker in math at school, are you not cut out to be a programmer? In this short, but hopefully informative article, I will try to introduce you to this topic.
Is knowledge of mathematics necessary for a programmer's work?
As I already mentioned, programmers are usually scientific minds. In particular, a dozen or so years ago, programmers were always scientifically minded. But the truth is that a lot has changed recently, programming is changing from year to year and is also becoming easier. We have a lot of tools, learning materials and a lot of things that are simply already written so you can use them. It's true that I never had any problems with mathematics or computer science, and I admit that I learned programming quite quickly, but also, if you were weaker in mathematics, I don't think that this in any way excludes you from working in this profession. It seems to me that it is good if a programmer knows mathematics, but I know that there are also many humanities specialists in our industry. Also, not knowing mathematics certainly does not rule you out of this profession. The truth is that in such everyday work, unless you are writing some complex programs, which honestly is rarely the case, mathematics is not that much needed because libraries have already been written that wrap various mathematical functions and programmers can use them in your applications. Always, if you don't remember some of the basics that you need at a given moment, all you need to do is spend some time, read more, deepen your knowledge on a given topic and solve the problem. I don't remember the last time I used any very advanced mathematical formulas in my career, but these are rather rare situations. For most of the tasks I carry out, basic mathematics is enough. However, more than mathematics, you definitely need the ability to think logically and solve problems.
When can mathematics be necessary in a programmer's work?
It may also happen that in some companies, for some positions, you will actually have to demonstrate advanced mathematical knowledge. This does not apply to many fields, for example it may apply to programmers who create computer games, where you have to implement a graphics engine, and in the field of data science.
SUMMARY:
To answer the initial questions, a programmer does not have to know mathematics, in my opinion it would be better if he could, but ignorance of some more advanced mathematics issues does not exclude you. Of course, I also encourage you to expand your knowledge in this area, but if you want to become a web, mobile or desktop application developer, in most cases, basic knowledge of mathematics is enough to find a job in this position. If you are already a programmer, please let me know what it looks like for you. Are you a scientist or more of a humanist, and do you need advanced knowledge of mathematics for your everyday work? :)
