Mathematics is just a ladder of abstractions. If a piece of mathematics seems intimidating, it's just because you're looking too far up the ladder from where you're currently standing. Anyone can climb it, one careful step at a time, to reach a level they're interested in; by the time they get there, they'll have learned enough of the underlying abstractions to make the intimidating thing now seem obvious, or at least sensible.

So don't be afraid! (And besides, there are certainly many CS degrees which don't require anywhere near the amount of mathematical sophistication mentioned in this article.)

If you suck at math, you SHOULD get a math heavy degree if the subject interests you. That's what I did, with my EE degree. To be fair, it isn't that I sucked at math so much as I didn't know very much of it.

Still, I think you should look at college as a way to learn what you don't know and get better where you suck, rather than bolster your strengths and avoid your weaknesses. For example, I wrote really well in high school and at one point wanted to get an English degree. Then I thought, "I already know how to write, let's put that tuition money to better use" and started considering math and science heavy options.

Don't let this put you off! I have a CS degree, and I also pretty much suck at math (at least compared to many CS majors).

There are many paths you can take through a CS degree, and it's entirely possible to come out with useful and applicable knowledge without having to deep-dive in math. It just means you're more likely to end up in, say, web-dev than building 3D graphics engines. For me that's been a perfectly acceptable outcome.

And besides, a CS degree takes a few years - there's plenty of time to brush up on math if you're really interested.

(Damn it, I wish I could edit old posts...)

Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement, but when I was going to school it would take me 4 hours to complete 15 simple homework math equations, even with the ritalin. 'Hard work' in the form of 4 years of that stuff would make me commit suicide.

Moreover, I just don't care to understand complex math. I do want to know how to design compilers and write embedded kernel drivers. If advanced math is required to be able to do these things, CS isn't for me.

Don't let this be intimidating to you - instead of asking yourself "how come I don't know this?" ask yourself "how can I learn more about this?". This might sound cheesy and simplified but it's as simple as "nobody was born knowing this". I'm 31 and I wish I had the money to go back in education and learn all of this with the official way but for now I'm just picking resources on the web and who knows? It just might happen...

Enough about me. If you want it, go get it. Period.

Actually, the purpose of going to school and studying for four years is to learn things which you aren't already good at.

There is a growing body of science that indicates talent matters a great deal less than hard work.

Certainly I consider myself relatively slow, but with enough perseverance, I get told I am smart. :)

I have a CS degree, and a math minor. After over a decade of professional work, I remember hardly anything of my math minor, and very little of the mathematical content of my CS major.

If you want to do 'interesting' stuff, you'll need solid math skills. If your goal is to make money, you will likely do fine with average math skills. Oddly, however, many employers currently interview for CS/math knowledge even though their jobs will never, ever make use of such knowledge.