Sure. Knowing what's going on at the very bottom is useful for thinking through performance issues. Huge datasets run into hardware constraints. Knowing what's

Sure. Knowing what's going on at the very bottom is useful for thinking through performance issues. Huge datasets run into hardware constraints. Knowing what's going on at the bottom can be useful there too. It's not mandatory, but it can be useful. The 3rd differential equations class may not be mandatory for a career in physics but it can be useful to understanding the foundations of the field. Learning Latin isn't mandatory for becoming an English teacher, but understanding the roots of words can be helpful.