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๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฆ | I never learned my math tables. Till today, if you ask me what 9x6 is, I don't know. I have to start from 9x5 which is the last thing I remember, then manually add another 9 in my head to arrive at 54. #Thread
I barely passed Math in secondary school. In fact, I failed it during my GCEs then aced it at WAEC. I did so because I have a unique gift of pattern recognition.
If I study the same thing over and over, I eventually see a recurring pattern and can reproduce it. It's like an advanced form of cramming. But scoring an A in math in WAEC, still didn't help me.
By the time I got to University, I was confronted with Further Math in MAT 101 class. I tried to read the recommended text book but nothing clicked. I was resigned to failure, until two things happened.
First, I stumbled on Engineering Mathematics by K.A Stroud. It was like someone finally shined a light. That textbook simplified Further Maths and I was able to understand about 30% of the required reading.
Second, in my despair, I decided to block out my impending failure by listening to music. I stumbled on a @RealFredHammond song that reminded me of a scripture I'd earlier learned about God's help and so, I had the courage to show up at the exam hall.
I passed Math by a whisker because the 30% I understood fortuitously made up about 50% of the questions.
Now, I'm in the financial space and bless God for my calculator & Excel Spreadsheet. Daily, I apply a principle expounded on by @DavidEpstein in his book, Range. While I still don't know my Times Tables, I outsource tactics to software, so I can focus on what I do best - strategy
Looking back now, here's what I learnt from my near failure in Math:
๐๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐: I wish someone had explained the reasoning behind Math when I was much younger, instead of asking me to cram numbers.
๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: No matter how difficult a concept is, a good teacher will discover a way to explain it to you.
๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป: If you learn best by reading, look for written information first. If by video, opt for that format instead.
๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ต: If you believe you're going to fail, you probably will. Find that thing that inspires you and gives you courage. For me, it was music and the word of God.
๐๐'๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ผ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐น๐น๐: I may have struggled with Math in my childhood, but every day, I confront it in the investment space. I've been compelled to try to understand it. To go back to the "why"; to allow it to tell me a story.
So yeah, while I should have probably learnt my Times Tables, I now have the fundamental mathematical skills that I need to succeed.
