The most useful thing for me about these courses is the fact that I when I do need to use material from any of these classes, I can picture the problem in my mind and have little trouble setting up an answer. If I were armed only with equations and paper and pencil, I wouldn't even know where to begin.
I currently work for Chevron Overseas Petroleum as a Computer and Communicati ons Network Analyst. While higher level mathematics does not normally come into play in my day to day job, the analytical thinking skills I've learned, since taking VectorCalculus&Mathematica, sure do. I am known among my peers as the guy you want to ask if you have a math-related problem. Taking the VectorCalculus&Mathematica classes [via NetMath Internet] has also gotten the attention of my management and I feel that it has helped my credibili ty with them immensely. Having a radio and RF background I have often wondered where many of the equations come from. Now, thanks to graphical approach of VectorCalculus&Mathematica, I can look at equations, such as Maxwell's equations, and understand what they are saying about the flow of the electric and magnetic fields. That is very gratifying to me. Calculus&Mathematica makes Mathematics come alive to me. It is no longer a dry, tedious subject but one that I can actively explore and play with. It's fun.
Techs support both the lab machines and the software used in this program.
In the event of a problem, send an e-mail to tech@cm.math.uiuc.edu.