[sfpotter]

Learning math helps develop your ability to hold large, complicated logical edifices in your head and to analyze them. There are different ways to develop this skill, doing math is one way to go about it. Programming is fundamentally about reasoning about large logical structures, so the skills carry over. The specific topics may not help, but then again, they might. Learning multivariable calculus and linear algebra will help you if you work in graphics, machine learning, etc. Note that these are huge subjects, and there’s always more to learn—much more than you can pick up in a semester or two at college.

How crucial it is for you to be able to accurately analyze large logical systems depends on the kind of programming you do. In many cases, it isn’t that important. I think I being comfortable with ambiguity, understanding how to satisfy multiple conflicting constraints, how to be political, etc. are probably much more valuable skills. Many programming jobs simply do not require you to be that technical to get your tasks done.