I think you're wrong about the math requirements. The math is not very abstract, but requires a much deeper understanding of statistics than your post suggests.

I think you're wrong about the math requirements. The math is not very abstract, but requires a much deeper understanding of statistics than your post suggests. That's probably why you struggled to get hired. My partner has a successful career in data science, but she has multiple degrees in mathematics - significantly more than your typical engineer is exposed to.