I went through the school of engineering before the days of even calculators, let alone computers. The only way to do the high-level math at that time was using a side rule and scientific notation.

It was not considered a badge of honor to be one of those “slide rule” people. I took pains to make sure that I hid mine in a backpack or under my textbook.

It took much longer in life to stop worrying what people thought for things so minor.

My father had always wanted his son to be a doctor. When I first entered college, my major was pre-medicine. The first couple of years I did not do as well as I should taking the required courses for that major. I was lazy and I hated the memorization involved in biology and organic chemistry but excelled in the math and physical science courses.

Without telling my dad, between my sophomore and junior year, I changed my major to Engineering Mechanics, the study of applied mathematics to engineering projects. I did not tell him for a long time, but when I did, he took it surprisingly well. I know he was disappointed, but he never mentioned it to me.