The value of studying more advanced mathematics is not tied strictly to what will be used on a day-to-day basis in one's job. I studied math well beyond what I

The value of studying more advanced mathematics is not tied strictly to what will be used on a day-to-day basis in one's job. I studied math well beyond what I use in my day-to-day work as a software engineer, but I've found it valuable for at least two different reasons. First, it exposed me to ideas and concepts beyond what is right in front of me every day. If I happen upon the occasional question about computational theory or cryptography or whatever, I am at least aware that there's a field of study around it and I know where to look for solutions to known problems. Second, I don't think I'm entirely unique in that my mastery of lesser math was improved by studying higher math. In other words, I'm pretty rusty on things such as partial differential equations, but because I studied them, I know algebra, trig, basic calculus, etc., cold and that is beneficial both in my day-to-day work and normal life.