What's the best way to teach myself advanced calculus while working a full-time job?

Education math education self-study calculus

AI Summary

I'm a 30-year-old software engineer who's always been interested in math, but I never had the opportunity to take advanced calculus in college. Now that I have more free time, I want to learn it on my own, but I'm not sure where to start. I've tried watching online tutorials and lectures, but I find it hard to stay motivated and retain the information. I'd love to hear from anyone who's successfully taught themselves advanced calculus and can share their tips and recommendations for resources, study materials, and time management strategies. In particular, I'm interested in learning about the best ways to practice and apply the concepts to real-world problems. Can you recommend any specific books, online courses, or study groups that have helped you learn advanced calculus? Additionally, do you have any advice on how to balance learning calculus with my full-time job and other responsibilities?

JessicaLee

1 Answer

I completely understand your struggle - I've been in a similar situation myself, trying to learn advanced calculus while working full-time. The key for me was finding a consistent routine and sticking to it, even if it's just 30 minutes a day. I'd wake up early, grab a cup of coffee, and work on calculus before starting my day job.

For resources, I'd highly recommend Michael Spivak's "Calculus" and Robert G. Bartle's "A Modern Theory of Integration". They're not the most popular choices, but they're incredibly in-depth and have helped me understand the subject better. As for online courses, I took MIT's 18.03: Differential Equations and 18.06: Linear Algebra courses, which were amazing. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for the study groups, but I'm sure they're a great way to connect with other learners.

My advice is to find real-world problems that interest you and apply calculus to those. This will make learning more enjoyable and help you retain the information better. For example, if you're into machine learning, try applying calculus to optimization problems. It's also essential to take breaks and not overwork yourself - learning calculus is a marathon, not a sprint.