[sigmaprimus]

Are math skills no longer required to obtain a degree in engineering?

I know that question might sound a bit trollish but it is a genuine one. I thought along with specialty in a particular engineering discipline all engineering graduates were required to have proficiency in Math and Communication.

Are You talking about hiring a person without a degree? Is the competition for qualified employees that stiff these days?

Maybe paid internships for current students could help develop a group of potential future hires, most students are fine with tests.

You might be able to glean some indication of a persons interest in Math by looking into their online histories but I don't know if such a service is available let alone ethical.

[username90]

You don't need skills to pass tests. Many tests can be passed by memorizing solutions and cheating is common.

[Jtsummers]

More importantly, for those who've been out of school for a while their math skills erode quickly. I'm having to reteach people basic linear algebra because they hadn't used it since their junior year of college 20 years ago and are now writing/maintaining programs that require it. Some of them were able to recall it with a bit of prompting, but for others it was a complete blank. For the former, the mechanics were still in their head but the terms were gone and needed to be reconnected, for the latter they aren't recalling either parts. But both groups are picking it back up quickly, they don't need a full semester of retraining, just a few sessions and then a lot of practice/application.

[sigmaprimus]

I understand now and agree with that point of view, thank you for clarification.

Now that you point it out, I have seen the same problem occur with electricians. They are very good workers, get along with everyone, are great team leaders and team members but struggle with simple single variable formulas like ohms law thus preventing them from being promoted to journeyman.

[jki275]

I don't know about college, but I do know for a fact (being the father of a high school junior) that high school math is now the equivalent of what grade school math was when I was growing up.

So kids going into college are far less prepared than they were a generation ago. Maybe the engineering programs in college pick them back up to where they need to be, I've been out of the undergrad world for many years.