There may be a difference between data science or ML work and software engineering. It's commonly stated, accurately IMO, that you don't really need an advanced

There may be a difference between data science or ML work and software engineering. It's commonly stated, accurately IMO, that you don't really need an advanced math background to be a software engineer or developer. I tend to agree, as long as I'm also allowed to say that I believe it's a very difficult, complicated, and intricate job. It just doesn't require calculus, linear algebra, or higher. For ML? Well, I do know people who have never taken a formal course in anything above calculus who absolutely do apply these techniques properly and are well versed in how they work. But to understand how k-means clustering works, or how to construct a gradient vector... yeah, this requires multivariable calculus and non-linear optimization across systems of equations. And while you don't need to know how the underlying math works to use kmeans or neural nets, the mathematics is a lot closer to your work. Under these circumstances, I can see why a lot of companies might just start looking for STEM degrees from known programs in a way they don't really with SEs.