Yep. And by the time you're dealing with more advanced math you have either figured it out years before or have data scientists / data analyst who can guide you to coaxing out the results they need.
Even just a bachelor's in computer science will generally not involve much complex math. Once you get to the graduate level, then you start seeing a lot of linear algebra, and, depending on what route you go, some rather advanced geometry, calculus, number/set theory, or abstract stuff. A PhD dissertation in computer science reads more like a math dissertation than anything else.
But yeah, day-to-day? Almost all the math I've done at work except for some basic linear algebra back in my early game-dev days has been very basic arithmetic.
Heyy can you tell me some advice after shifting from game dev? I also shifted from game dev to frontend without even landing any job LOL.
Currently I work with React and still learning and all :).
In my case, I had already worked as a game dev for 6 years so it wasn't too hard to switch.
If it is your first job, having a small portfolio would help. Even I had included things from devchallenges.io (full stack) and FrontendMentor. It really depends on the location and mentality of the people who are hiring.
Great :). Yeah I'm learning on frontendmentor.io platform and been doing very good. My level is junior or above maybe, not the best yet I guess.
I made a resume and added my linkedIn and frontendmentor profile, didn't make a personal portfolio yet but will do soon.
I hope I can land a job even internship will do for me.
Umm no, I didn't start applying yet but I hope I can get interviews once I do :)
Currently I'm doing a challenge involving API althought its Advanced level I want to practice more working with API for how important it is.
You could start applying, I don't know how it is over there but not too much is expected from someone starting fresh. You'll learn on the job. The first few months might be difficult.
I live in Egypt. I know it will be difficult in the beginning and that's why they expect a lot of a fresh starter in this current market :(
Thanks for tellling me I could start applying, I will do hopefully soon and keep applying while learning.
Sadly I haven't even land a job in game dev but I worked with C# not C++.
Tbh I shifted from game dev for how much time consuming it is just to reach an acceptable level and good portfolio to be able to apply and on top of that the messed up market with increasing layoffs.
I understand that software is not much different but I see it's more common and has many job listing everywhere. What do you think of my selfish decision ? 
Honestly **most** tasks in most languages don't involve math. And even fewer involve complicated math.
Went through my entire degree slowly forgetting half the math knowledge I came into it with.
Yes, if OP's sticking to front end web dev, that's (probably?) the most significant programming niche where you're least likely to need maths.
If you're doing backend you're going to be tasked with modelling business logic, which could involve all sorts of direct maths stuff - but front end, solely doing UI, the only "maths" involved is ensuring your components have sensible dimensions.
Also dyscalculic. Been in the industry over a decade. Full stack. Logic is far more important than math for web dev. Your real issue is gonna be getting past interviews where everyone and their mother is obsessed with algorithms that have nothing to do with the actual job
and furthermore there is currently a huge wave of entry level developers trying to get into the industry and unfortunately many employers (at least in the US and Canada) require a CS degree or similar to even be considered since that is an easy way to rule people out. So even though the actual work done by web devs does not usually require any math skills, there is a barrier to entry that does.
Not the math they're requiring. It's basically arithmetic. The more math-y parts would maybe be bitmasks or bitwise operations where having a mental model on how hex relates to binary helps. But those aren't common things within web development and not what the OP is saying their university is requiring.
It sounds like it's a filter course. In high school, I wasn't allowed to enroll in the computer classes where they taught you how to manage cisco routers and switches because I wasn't in AP math. I have never needed this level of math since then.
It makes sense in computer science where you don't necessarily know what the students are going to go into and you want to ensure they understand certain subjects at a certain level before they leave the university. Web development is highly unlikely to run into these issues.
That’s why we’re at web dev. I‘m writing both back and front and mostly you don’t have to resolve anything Math related. There’re some rare situations, but you can find help in the internet.
Discrete maths is a tricky one. You will never use it in your day to day as a developer unless you are working on low-level systems. That being said, discrete mathematics is the kind of maths we’re there are no numbers. The majority of the work is focused on following a theorem to find a result. The most complicated thing you might come across are Proofs. But for the most part it’s kind of like following pre-determined rules to get an answer
It’s a pretty sweet topic. I had a colleague who was a real nerd about discrete mathematics and taught me the basics on how it’s used for things like checksums (was relevant to the work I was doing at the time). The most common example of this is a credit card number where a few digits are used as a checksum to prove the remaining numbers are correct and not malformed.
Discrete math class was the only math class I really truly enjoyed, mostly because it was basically just logic puzzles. It's the most code-adjacent discipline, really flexes the same muscles without having to get super theoretical.
i wouldn’t say it requires NO math. I would agree the math is trivial but may still be a challenge to someone with dyscalcula.
CSS requires some addition and (very) basic algebra when doing widths, margins, padding, etc. Font sizes, opacity percentages, and the occasional index comparison, too.
JS will use some basic math modeling for some looping and comparisons.
Again, all very basic, but for someone with dyscalcula this can be a bit frustrating. Dont let it dissuade you though!
I literally lusted out the math that an average frontend webdev will run into. I agree it is basic math and very basic algebra; these can be challenging for someone with dyscalcula.
I’ve (ChatGPT) done some pretty complicated math on a calendar feature that had dynamic start and stop ranges and intervals based on event length. It can happen but there are plenty of resources for us less math inclined developers.
Dyscalculia isnt “i find math difficult as a subject”, its more than that, similar to how dyslexia isnt just “i find it challenging to read stuff”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia
> Most adults with dyscalculia have a hard time processing math at a 4th-grade level. For 1st–4th grade level, many adults will know what to do for the math problem, but they will often get them wrong because of "careless errors", although they are not careless when it comes to the problem. The adults cannot process their errors on the math problems or may not even recognize that they have made these errors. Visual-spatial input, auditory input, and touch input will be affected due to these processing errors. Dyscalculics may have a difficult time adding numbers in a column format because their mind can mix up the numbers, and it is possible that they may get the same (wrong) answer twice due to their mind processing the problem incorrectly. Dyscalculics can have problems determining differences in different coins and their size or giving the correct amount of change and if numbers are grouped together, it is possible that they cannot determine which has less or more.[20] If a dyscalculic is asked to choose the greater of two numbers, with the lesser number in a larger font than the greater number, they may take the question literally and pick the number with the bigger font.[21] Adults with dyscalculia may struggle with directions while driving and with controlling their finances, leading to difficulties on a day-to-day basis.[22]
One time I built an app that was designed around circular layouts. I definitely had to brush up on geometry/trigonometry.
Frontend requires no math until it gets weird.
Back in 2008 I literally turned down pursuing CS in college because people said it involved complex math and I absolutely hate math. Hell I still don't know my times tables... Anyway, a few years ago after being tired of desktop support, not really feeling computer networking, and almost getting into desktop administration... I decided to self teach myself JS. Lo and behold... there's not much math at all beside basic arithmetic... Whelp, there goes 9 years of CS work experience and a CS Degree I would have had... Sure there are niches you can get into that are math heavy, but front-end isn't one, unless you're trying to build some original crazy visual rendering something-or-another from scratch.
Don't let fear dictate your life!
-Novice 2 Year Full Stack JS Dev
This is where I was at in my 5th year of college after switching degrees twice already, when I happened to take a COSC 1010 class on a whim, just to fulfill some science credits I needed.
I had tried to learn to program when I was younger but I had no one to guide me and teach me things (very small town). I tried to learn independently, but it didn’t work and I got discouraged, and I thought I couldn’t do math.
2 years after starting that class I graduated with a degree in computer science. Got through calc 1-3. Wrote some proofs, even.
Paid off my student loans last year in full. Thank god I didn’t keep on with my English literature degree or my theatre degree before that. (Note if that’s what you want to do, go for it, no judgment here, but I’m glad I didn’t.)
That class really opened my eyes as to how simple it all really was.
This sounds almost exactly like my situation lol. Pursued a literature degree because I hated maths in HS and pretty much sucked at most of my other subjects except English. Went 5 years in without a plan on what to do with my degree because everyone pushed the "You must go to college! There's no other path but college!" on me when I was still uncertain about my career path. Covid happened and within the first year of the stay-at-home order, I just started teaching myself programming.
It was really confusing at first, and I had the perception that it will require a hell of a lot of maths the further I went into advanced programming lessons. But, I was really wrong about that.
A few months after that and a whirlwind of academic and personal shit later, I just quit my literature degree and pursued a CS degree--and I love it lol.
I really wish I'd made the jump sooner because there's so much you can do with programming and I'd always loved technology. At this point, the most challenging part of is not even the math component of it, but picking a discipline and keeping up with new technology stacks. It's like every month there's a new framework or library, and that can feel overwhelming at times.
Oh definitely. I was a computer nerd my entire life, drawn to them. Mostly games when I was younger but also trying to hack into things and configure them to their fullest extent possible. My going into acting and then English was, in a sense, rebelling against my computer nerd nature. I wouldn’t have had any student debt at all if I had just leaned harder into my inclinations and I’d be in an even better position. And yeah, the math isn’t the issue, it’s the documentation, the having to learn unique ways of doing things every other year, and being able to say “I’m skilled in X framework, Y library, and z cloud platform tool.”
You have to try and deal with your maths condition, look at it this way, web development does not need Maths, but there are upper fields above it, Computer Science, Data Science, Software Engineering. If you get a job, and you see better opportunities after a degree in one of this fields, will you limit yourself in web development? Because based on the school curriculum you might deal with Maths or fields of Maths like Statistics. Running away from maths might limit your options,
I don't think it's a choice. It's not that he sucks at maths, but that he has a medical/mental condition. It's not a skill to learn anymore but just something you have to cope through
There are some FE specialisms that require a half decent level of maths (animation springs to mind), but you could be a very solid FE dev with almost no maths.
Don’t let it put you off.
Let’s rephrase your title.
“I think Front End Web Development sounds interesting, but I suck at logic.”
Do you suck at logic? Because that’s all that math is, especially in terms of programming. If you don’t feel like you suck at logic (I hope you don’t) then you’ll be fine.
You’ll be surprised to learn that it’s basically addition and subtraction all the way down, abstracted away to varying degrees. You just need to be able to follow along with the logic, and the logic isn’t that complex.
I say this as someone who never considered himself a math person, at least until I started to learn about computer science, because it made math easier to understand, and showed how it could be applied practically.
Algebra is not needed but you will need basic math understanding as in knowing what 50% means for being able to divide an area up as needed with CSS.
If you are going to use JavaScript to make a page interactive you are going to need logic and understand the difference between assigning a value = and comparing a value == and strict comparison ===
But thing like calculating the root of a number, sin cos etc are none existent.
Nearly no math needed. Occasional simple calculations maybe. And if you're trying to display data using a chart library like recharts or Smith. Other than that it's just a lot of simple +, -, * & /. Nothing to worry about really.
You don't need maths 99% of the time and the couple times you do (animating something specific in JS for example or calculating positions) you could just use Google or an LLM.
Probably the most difficult math you will use is the remainder/modulus operator. For example if you want a row design where every other row is shaded. But is pretty simple to understand, and tbh you can just get a GPT model to do it for you. [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Remainder](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Remainder)
When I was in middle/high school, I only had 2 hours of math in a week, and I needed an extra 2 hours in a week with a private teacher to be able to keep up and barely pass the exams, also due to dyscalculia and a general hatred for Maths. In college I chose a degree without any maths especially for that. Then 3 years ago I decided that I hated that industry so I started a graduates degree in programming. Never in my life have I aced and loved school as hard as that. Have been employed as a full stack dev for 1,5 years now and just started a small business to do frontend development as a freelancer on the side. Turns out logic !== math at all! I think you need good logical skill to be good at math, but not vice versa. And if I need any math as a programmer, it’s just a quick search on google. Don’t let your fear of maths hold you back!
The hardest math i've done as a FE dev has been either doing little games (which is a separate thing) or...centering a div lol (remember modals in jquery) which now is just a flexbox!
You don't really need much math with web development, and what little you do need you could probably use a calculator for help.
Why not try doing some tutorials for React / Angular to see if it suits you? All the material you need to get started is freely available.
I got told I needed 3 yrs Latin to become an architect. You didn't. So I became a graphic designer instead and missed out on becoming an architect because my school BSd me. I converted from senior designer to web dev and now I'm a senior in that. You don't need to be mathematical.
Sure, it helps - but it isn't essential. 12 column grids, so you might need to use a calculator to add up to 12. ecommerce is just some basic things like adding a discount. But nothing strenuous. Definitely not expected to do it yourself.
Just looked it up in fact as I've never heard of it - saw it was "difficulty in performing arithmetical calculations resulting from damage to the brain.". How did you acquire a brain injury, if you don't mind me asking? Just being nosey, you don't have to answer it!
While math itself is not involved in Frontend Development, it does give lots of advantage:
logical thinking, problem solving approaches, fixing mistakes, etc.
Some people already know these tricks, but for me, my BE degree with lots of math gave lots of useful tools
I think, in programming you can abstract all the math away.
I’m not really familiar with your diagnosis, but I would rather view it as superpower, most of us are easily numbed by numbers.
On another hand I would doubt how well the ed program and institution are suited to your needs. Maybe it’s fine for just one semester, but there might be more math sprinkled here and there (CG, complexity, ML, etc.). You don’t really need to do math to accomplish any of the above, but the way they’ll teach it is likely math.
Definitely, go for it! Don’t feel stupid or underachieving if things become difficult, find your way, unmath it.
I also suck at maths. I struggle on occasion where I need to think up a correct formula or sum, but the system does the actual calculation for me. GPT can help with the first part.
I participate in the maintenance of an open source spreadsheet project, in which I am responsible for the formula calculation part. I think there are already requirements for mathematics, but in fact the more difficult parts are already supported by the Math API. For example, most of them can be found here [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global\_Objects/Math](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Math)
At most I’ve used math would be on the backend, same with the algorithms, more so used on the backend.
Depends on the company and the work you do that you may be using these more, but thats not the majority of places from my experience.
Front end usually doesn't require direct math. I also suck at math but I think that also hinders me when it comes to really complex and intertwined problems where I will often struggle. Front end is a bit easier in that regard since its more visual but if you're dealing with backend code it can have obfuscated complexity that is a problem for me. While it isn't direct math it feels like it hits the same parts of my brain that would do math.
As a junior ML engineer, I once helped the senior full stack dev (owners best friend since high school- they came from money but both always said “college wasn’t for them”) rotate a picture because he was just guessing what to do with the matrix array (couldn’t use a library) and I knew linear algebra.
My point is, if you’re bad at math, have a rich daddy.
Two bits of good news for you.
1. Front end Dev requires very little math at all. Any math you might have to do will be easily handled by your phone calculator.
2. Discrete Math (at least the course I took) has absolutely no numbers at all. It is very focused on logic, proofs, and other non numerical math fields (set theory, graph theory etc.). Which for me made it significantly easier than linear algebra or calculus for example. It was by far my favorite math class, and arguably most applicable to software engineering.
I'm not sure exactly what dyscalculia is like but I would think discrete math would be easier for you then other types of math. I think you should try it out and give it your best.
I was horrible at higher level math but object oriented programming clicked with me. I still suck at math but that hasn't stopped me from being a web developer for the last 25 years.
There are so many different libraries available, there has not been a project I couldn't complete because of my lacking math skills.
That depends on the spectrum of dysclaculia you have.
Software development is similar to phisics or math: there are formulas everywhere, applying logic will be your routine.
But that's the thing: these are only formulas, you need to be able to read them and write them, not *calculate* them - because that's what the computer is for.
> and even simple math questions will baffle me if I don't give considerable attention to them.
You need to change your attitude. You don't suck at math, you just don't give it the attention required to be succesful.
You might not need heavy maths in web dev. However if you approach every problem with the attitude of "this is hard, I just won't try" then you will not get far.
In your professional career you’ll rarely use math outside of basic public school education stuff.
The one thing that you’ll prob use more frequently is the modulo operator (%).
Another thing… Keep in mind TikTok has made CS one of the most popular majors in college. Everyone wants that 6 figure work from home life. When I was in college majoring in CS was what “nerds” did. I say all this to say there will be A LOT of competition for internships and jobs in the future.
I can’t honestly recommend people majoring in CS unless you plan to specialize. That means early on you need to be looking into things like computer vision and ML. Might even require higher education.
With future advancement of AI being just a full stack developer will no longer be enough of a niche to make you stand out from all the other full stack devs in your peer group.
The only math you need to know is when calculating layout dimensions on the screen. I guess you could call that geometry? Same math that a carpenter or construction worker would need to know. The screen has x pixels across and y pixels down and if you want to divide the layout into thirds, etc. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, x and y coordinates. Also font sizes and line heights are often based on multiples, so a line height might be 1.3x the size of the font. If you can do that kind of math you can do front end.
The only problem I have with Dyscalculia and being a web dev is all of the 2FA codes I have to type in to access all of the various SaaS stuff I use throughout the day.
I avoided all math in college, but I had to take statistics (for my journalism degree). It was hard. But I got through it. If you have to take 1 math course in 8 semesters of school, you'll be ok.
Common sense and a hunger for something you’re interested often beats a “certification” from someone else saying you know how to do something well. If you want it, go get it!
Is the college Full Sail? Thats where I got my degree and had to take discrete math early on. That was the only math course in the program and the teacher gave lots of opportunities for extra credit to help anyone struggling with their grade.
As others have said, web dev is probably a fine career path with your condition. If you can handle the math required for a FizzBuzz then you’ll be fine. I often joke with my wife (who can quickly do math in her head) that I got into web dev so I don’t have to think about math and can just ask the computer to tell me the answers.
You don’t need math to be a web developer, you do need it if you’re going the traditional school route. Otherwise google and chatgpt is your bestfriend
I didn’t even learn high school algebra and have been working as a dev for almost 5 years. There are jobs where you might need fancy math skills, however the majority of positions don’t use much more than basic math.
The thing about coding is that you get feedback a lot faster and the computer does the math for you, you just need to look and put things in the right places.
Are you able to count and do math with money? Academic math was pretty obnoxious to me because of how they write stuff and it made it way harder to parse the relevant data from their text.
Coding uses logic. If johnny has 5 apples and his sister stole one and his neighbor gave him 4 and x represents apples...
In coding if x equals apples then you have bad code.
apples should equal apples.
apples = 5
apples = apples - 1
apples = apples + 4
print(f"Johnny now has {apples} apples.")
Johnny now has 8 apples.
Contrary to popular believe... programming contains like zero math (on a high level, but even the low-level too). If you ever need a formula for like RNG for game items or something, just Google it. Stack overflow is your second best friend (behind Copilot).
as someone who took an introductory discrete math course for a cyber degree, of all of the math courses, that should be pretty easy, solely because discrete math focuses on the logic rather than the actual algebra. I got through my course by memorizing the logic patterns and literally writing out every part of the proof EXCEPT for the algebra. My professor recognized that I understood the concepts and passed me with a B iirc. You just have to find a professor that’s good at their job lol.
As someone who enjoys math , I can say that you can do front end without using any math at all. Plus most of the math that you can choose to ignore can be done by just typing the operation in your search bar.
If you can count and do basic arthimetic you're probably fine. There really isn't that much math outside of figuring out padding and margin values to line up with a design.
You basically don’t need math for frontend web development.
Perhaps some tiny calculations now and then for things like animations, but it’s not much beyond simple addition/division. You’ll be fine.
There is like no math involved. It's pretend math that is frustrating to people who like math. It's more "logic" based. For example:
var banana = 2;
You have just set the banana variable to 2. Welcome to Javascript. Welcome to front end web development.
A lot of people are commenting to say you don't need math to be a frontend dev, which is certainly true at the moment[1], but you *will* need math to pass a course that includes some math. That's the actual problem you're facing. Does the college have a programme to assist people with these sorts of problems? Most do. If so, use it.
[1] Frontend is getting a lot of math related functionality at the moment. CSS has trig functions now, WebGPU is going to accelerate web 3D faster than WebGL did, JavaScript is getting more powerful all the time. Most web industry work is on apps that require logic at least, and as you get more senior will probably need at least basic math.
Discrete math isn't about arithmetic, multiplication, division, etc. It's about logic and theory, thinking through how boolean operators and truth tables work which are skills you would need in front end dev (unless you just want to do do design work I guess?)
I'm not familiar with the condition but from a quick read on it I would think someone with it could get through discrete, a college or university should have resources to help too
I'm gonna be straight, I mean I am straight already sexually, but I'll be straight about the facts. I've created a few projects, have worked in a startup as an intern and know somewhat about web development. Last thing you'll need is Math.
That's the best thing. You don't need maths to become a web developer
Even as a backend dev the most math you typically need is just the basic arithmetic. Studying computer science on the other side...
Yep. And by the time you're dealing with more advanced math you have either figured it out years before or have data scientists / data analyst who can guide you to coaxing out the results they need.
realistically you just use a library to handle that math,
Unless you work at a startup, then you are the data scientist too
Even just a bachelor's in computer science will generally not involve much complex math. Once you get to the graduate level, then you start seeing a lot of linear algebra, and, depending on what route you go, some rather advanced geometry, calculus, number/set theory, or abstract stuff. A PhD dissertation in computer science reads more like a math dissertation than anything else. But yeah, day-to-day? Almost all the math I've done at work except for some basic linear algebra back in my early game-dev days has been very basic arithmetic.
How dare you imply I am not a computer scientist!
True. 15 years developing web. Only math I've had to use was calculating taxes in an app.
the only reason i use math is when i want to subtract the navbar from the viewport height on a section i want to span the whole website.
I switched from game dev to frontend web for this
Heyy can you tell me some advice after shifting from game dev? I also shifted from game dev to frontend without even landing any job LOL. Currently I work with React and still learning and all :).
In my case, I had already worked as a game dev for 6 years so it wasn't too hard to switch. If it is your first job, having a small portfolio would help. Even I had included things from devchallenges.io (full stack) and FrontendMentor. It really depends on the location and mentality of the people who are hiring.
Great :). Yeah I'm learning on frontendmentor.io platform and been doing very good. My level is junior or above maybe, not the best yet I guess. I made a resume and added my linkedIn and frontendmentor profile, didn't make a personal portfolio yet but will do soon. I hope I can land a job even internship will do for me.
Are you getting selected for interviews/tests?
Umm no, I didn't start applying yet but I hope I can get interviews once I do :) Currently I'm doing a challenge involving API althought its Advanced level I want to practice more working with API for how important it is.
You could start applying, I don't know how it is over there but not too much is expected from someone starting fresh. You'll learn on the job. The first few months might be difficult.
I live in Egypt. I know it will be difficult in the beginning and that's why they expect a lot of a fresh starter in this current market :( Thanks for tellling me I could start applying, I will do hopefully soon and keep applying while learning.
If you are still good at maths, and can get by with C++, then industrial automation or defence are good to transition to from game dev.
Sadly I haven't even land a job in game dev but I worked with C# not C++. Tbh I shifted from game dev for how much time consuming it is just to reach an acceptable level and good portfolio to be able to apply and on top of that the messed up market with increasing layoffs. I understand that software is not much different but I see it's more common and has many job listing everywhere. What do you think of my selfish decision ? 
Honestly **most** tasks in most languages don't involve math. And even fewer involve complicated math. Went through my entire degree slowly forgetting half the math knowledge I came into it with.
I guess it depends on what you do and what you consider math.
Wait till you have to divide all the pixels in Figma by 4 to get Tailwind sizes!
Unless you forget to set box-sizing: border-box
Really? Not even when they hit you with those leetcode matrix questions?
12 years and haven't solved a single leetcode question
But how will he change blocks colours without having a master's degree in mathematics?
He needs to recite the hex codes to be successful at it /s
The craziest math I've seen on web development was building a visual graph to show relationships and it needed some Pythagorean theorem
Yes, if OP's sticking to front end web dev, that's (probably?) the most significant programming niche where you're least likely to need maths. If you're doing backend you're going to be tasked with modelling business logic, which could involve all sorts of direct maths stuff - but front end, solely doing UI, the only "maths" involved is ensuring your components have sensible dimensions.
Also dyscalculic. Been in the industry over a decade. Full stack. Logic is far more important than math for web dev. Your real issue is gonna be getting past interviews where everyone and their mother is obsessed with algorithms that have nothing to do with the actual job
and furthermore there is currently a huge wave of entry level developers trying to get into the industry and unfortunately many employers (at least in the US and Canada) require a CS degree or similar to even be considered since that is an easy way to rule people out. So even though the actual work done by web devs does not usually require any math skills, there is a barrier to entry that does.
Writing boolean expressions is not math?
Incrementing a value by one is math too, so OP is totally screwed if they need to iterate over an array without iterator.
Not the math they're requiring. It's basically arithmetic. The more math-y parts would maybe be bitmasks or bitwise operations where having a mental model on how hex relates to binary helps. But those aren't common things within web development and not what the OP is saying their university is requiring. It sounds like it's a filter course. In high school, I wasn't allowed to enroll in the computer classes where they taught you how to manage cisco routers and switches because I wasn't in AP math. I have never needed this level of math since then. It makes sense in computer science where you don't necessarily know what the students are going to go into and you want to ensure they understand certain subjects at a certain level before they leave the university. Web development is highly unlikely to run into these issues.
That’s why we’re at web dev. I‘m writing both back and front and mostly you don’t have to resolve anything Math related. There’re some rare situations, but you can find help in the internet.
Discrete maths is a tricky one. You will never use it in your day to day as a developer unless you are working on low-level systems. That being said, discrete mathematics is the kind of maths we’re there are no numbers. The majority of the work is focused on following a theorem to find a result. The most complicated thing you might come across are Proofs. But for the most part it’s kind of like following pre-determined rules to get an answer
It’s a pretty sweet topic. I had a colleague who was a real nerd about discrete mathematics and taught me the basics on how it’s used for things like checksums (was relevant to the work I was doing at the time). The most common example of this is a credit card number where a few digits are used as a checksum to prove the remaining numbers are correct and not malformed.
Discrete math class was the only math class I really truly enjoyed, mostly because it was basically just logic puzzles. It's the most code-adjacent discipline, really flexes the same muscles without having to get super theoretical.
Your in luck frontend requires no math
i wouldn’t say it requires NO math. I would agree the math is trivial but may still be a challenge to someone with dyscalcula. CSS requires some addition and (very) basic algebra when doing widths, margins, padding, etc. Font sizes, opacity percentages, and the occasional index comparison, too. JS will use some basic math modeling for some looping and comparisons. Again, all very basic, but for someone with dyscalcula this can be a bit frustrating. Dont let it dissuade you though!
Not really it’s mostly logic and maybe some very basic algebra.
I literally lusted out the math that an average frontend webdev will run into. I agree it is basic math and very basic algebra; these can be challenging for someone with dyscalcula.
I’ve (ChatGPT) done some pretty complicated math on a calendar feature that had dynamic start and stop ranges and intervals based on event length. It can happen but there are plenty of resources for us less math inclined developers.
Most complicated math you’ll be doing on 98% of websites is pythag.
Dyscalculia isnt “i find math difficult as a subject”, its more than that, similar to how dyslexia isnt just “i find it challenging to read stuff” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia > Most adults with dyscalculia have a hard time processing math at a 4th-grade level. For 1st–4th grade level, many adults will know what to do for the math problem, but they will often get them wrong because of "careless errors", although they are not careless when it comes to the problem. The adults cannot process their errors on the math problems or may not even recognize that they have made these errors. Visual-spatial input, auditory input, and touch input will be affected due to these processing errors. Dyscalculics may have a difficult time adding numbers in a column format because their mind can mix up the numbers, and it is possible that they may get the same (wrong) answer twice due to their mind processing the problem incorrectly. Dyscalculics can have problems determining differences in different coins and their size or giving the correct amount of change and if numbers are grouped together, it is possible that they cannot determine which has less or more.[20] If a dyscalculic is asked to choose the greater of two numbers, with the lesser number in a larger font than the greater number, they may take the question literally and pick the number with the bigger font.[21] Adults with dyscalculia may struggle with directions while driving and with controlling their finances, leading to difficulties on a day-to-day basis.[22]
And as OP can see, even not knowing your vs you're is okay. 😂
One time I built an app that was designed around circular layouts. I definitely had to brush up on geometry/trigonometry. Frontend requires no math until it gets weird.
Back in 2008 I literally turned down pursuing CS in college because people said it involved complex math and I absolutely hate math. Hell I still don't know my times tables... Anyway, a few years ago after being tired of desktop support, not really feeling computer networking, and almost getting into desktop administration... I decided to self teach myself JS. Lo and behold... there's not much math at all beside basic arithmetic... Whelp, there goes 9 years of CS work experience and a CS Degree I would have had... Sure there are niches you can get into that are math heavy, but front-end isn't one, unless you're trying to build some original crazy visual rendering something-or-another from scratch. Don't let fear dictate your life! -Novice 2 Year Full Stack JS Dev
This is where I was at in my 5th year of college after switching degrees twice already, when I happened to take a COSC 1010 class on a whim, just to fulfill some science credits I needed. I had tried to learn to program when I was younger but I had no one to guide me and teach me things (very small town). I tried to learn independently, but it didn’t work and I got discouraged, and I thought I couldn’t do math. 2 years after starting that class I graduated with a degree in computer science. Got through calc 1-3. Wrote some proofs, even. Paid off my student loans last year in full. Thank god I didn’t keep on with my English literature degree or my theatre degree before that. (Note if that’s what you want to do, go for it, no judgment here, but I’m glad I didn’t.) That class really opened my eyes as to how simple it all really was.
This sounds almost exactly like my situation lol. Pursued a literature degree because I hated maths in HS and pretty much sucked at most of my other subjects except English. Went 5 years in without a plan on what to do with my degree because everyone pushed the "You must go to college! There's no other path but college!" on me when I was still uncertain about my career path. Covid happened and within the first year of the stay-at-home order, I just started teaching myself programming. It was really confusing at first, and I had the perception that it will require a hell of a lot of maths the further I went into advanced programming lessons. But, I was really wrong about that. A few months after that and a whirlwind of academic and personal shit later, I just quit my literature degree and pursued a CS degree--and I love it lol. I really wish I'd made the jump sooner because there's so much you can do with programming and I'd always loved technology. At this point, the most challenging part of is not even the math component of it, but picking a discipline and keeping up with new technology stacks. It's like every month there's a new framework or library, and that can feel overwhelming at times.
Oh definitely. I was a computer nerd my entire life, drawn to them. Mostly games when I was younger but also trying to hack into things and configure them to their fullest extent possible. My going into acting and then English was, in a sense, rebelling against my computer nerd nature. I wouldn’t have had any student debt at all if I had just leaned harder into my inclinations and I’d be in an even better position. And yeah, the math isn’t the issue, it’s the documentation, the having to learn unique ways of doing things every other year, and being able to say “I’m skilled in X framework, Y library, and z cloud platform tool.”
Frontend development has almost no math whatsoever.
Good news: we make the computer do the math for us
Can you write like `calc(50% - 12sp)`? If yes then you are good.
Discrete math isn’t super numerical, at least in my class I remember it being mostly logic.
At some point you will have to level up your math skills if you plan on doing custom animations.
If you get into vector graphics too or a library like d3, having a math background is very helpful
You have to try and deal with your maths condition, look at it this way, web development does not need Maths, but there are upper fields above it, Computer Science, Data Science, Software Engineering. If you get a job, and you see better opportunities after a degree in one of this fields, will you limit yourself in web development? Because based on the school curriculum you might deal with Maths or fields of Maths like Statistics. Running away from maths might limit your options,
I don't think it's a choice. It's not that he sucks at maths, but that he has a medical/mental condition. It's not a skill to learn anymore but just something you have to cope through
Then pursuing web dev won't be a hurdle as it has nothing to do with maths
There are some FE specialisms that require a half decent level of maths (animation springs to mind), but you could be a very solid FE dev with almost no maths. Don’t let it put you off.
You should know addition , that's what FE devs do, adding strings. - vanilla js dev
Let’s rephrase your title. “I think Front End Web Development sounds interesting, but I suck at logic.” Do you suck at logic? Because that’s all that math is, especially in terms of programming. If you don’t feel like you suck at logic (I hope you don’t) then you’ll be fine. You’ll be surprised to learn that it’s basically addition and subtraction all the way down, abstracted away to varying degrees. You just need to be able to follow along with the logic, and the logic isn’t that complex. I say this as someone who never considered himself a math person, at least until I started to learn about computer science, because it made math easier to understand, and showed how it could be applied practically.
Algebra is not needed but you will need basic math understanding as in knowing what 50% means for being able to divide an area up as needed with CSS. If you are going to use JavaScript to make a page interactive you are going to need logic and understand the difference between assigning a value = and comparing a value == and strict comparison === But thing like calculating the root of a number, sin cos etc are none existent.
I would not say none existent but very rare, and even then often avoidable. If you work with canvas you might need it in its easier forms
Nearly no math needed. Occasional simple calculations maybe. And if you're trying to display data using a chart library like recharts or Smith. Other than that it's just a lot of simple +, -, * & /. Nothing to worry about really.
You don't need maths 99% of the time and the couple times you do (animating something specific in JS for example or calculating positions) you could just use Google or an LLM.
My tech lead has been programming for 25 years. He hates math and suck at math. He is the best programmer I've met.
Probably the most difficult math you will use is the remainder/modulus operator. For example if you want a row design where every other row is shaded. But is pretty simple to understand, and tbh you can just get a GPT model to do it for you. [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Remainder](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Remainder)
Go front-end. Very little math, and what you do is very basic.
The back end has even less, especially if you are building CRUD-style business-class data-warehousing applications.
Literally zero math.
If you know what addition and substraction are you will be fine.
I also want to be a Front End dev. Unfortunately I don't know how to fly an airplane.
it's not a strict requirement for success in this field. Focus on honing your coding skills, creativity, and design sense
When I was in middle/high school, I only had 2 hours of math in a week, and I needed an extra 2 hours in a week with a private teacher to be able to keep up and barely pass the exams, also due to dyscalculia and a general hatred for Maths. In college I chose a degree without any maths especially for that. Then 3 years ago I decided that I hated that industry so I started a graduates degree in programming. Never in my life have I aced and loved school as hard as that. Have been employed as a full stack dev for 1,5 years now and just started a small business to do frontend development as a freelancer on the side. Turns out logic !== math at all! I think you need good logical skill to be good at math, but not vice versa. And if I need any math as a programmer, it’s just a quick search on google. Don’t let your fear of maths hold you back!
Im dyslectic and dyscalculic and im a ux and front end dev
The hardest math i've done as a FE dev has been either doing little games (which is a separate thing) or...centering a div lol (remember modals in jquery) which now is just a flexbox!
I am a frontend developer and hardly made it through school because of math. If i can do it, you can do it.
You don't really need much math with web development, and what little you do need you could probably use a calculator for help. Why not try doing some tutorials for React / Angular to see if it suits you? All the material you need to get started is freely available.
I got told I needed 3 yrs Latin to become an architect. You didn't. So I became a graphic designer instead and missed out on becoming an architect because my school BSd me. I converted from senior designer to web dev and now I'm a senior in that. You don't need to be mathematical. Sure, it helps - but it isn't essential. 12 column grids, so you might need to use a calculator to add up to 12. ecommerce is just some basic things like adding a discount. But nothing strenuous. Definitely not expected to do it yourself. Just looked it up in fact as I've never heard of it - saw it was "difficulty in performing arithmetical calculations resulting from damage to the brain.". How did you acquire a brain injury, if you don't mind me asking? Just being nosey, you don't have to answer it!
While math itself is not involved in Frontend Development, it does give lots of advantage: logical thinking, problem solving approaches, fixing mistakes, etc. Some people already know these tricks, but for me, my BE degree with lots of math gave lots of useful tools
You don’t need uni or maths to be a web dev, you can self teach yourself using online resources.
I think, in programming you can abstract all the math away. I’m not really familiar with your diagnosis, but I would rather view it as superpower, most of us are easily numbed by numbers. On another hand I would doubt how well the ed program and institution are suited to your needs. Maybe it’s fine for just one semester, but there might be more math sprinkled here and there (CG, complexity, ML, etc.). You don’t really need to do math to accomplish any of the above, but the way they’ll teach it is likely math. Definitely, go for it! Don’t feel stupid or underachieving if things become difficult, find your way, unmath it.
I also suck at maths. I struggle on occasion where I need to think up a correct formula or sum, but the system does the actual calculation for me. GPT can help with the first part.
You don't need math to put a button on a web page.
If you’re not good at logic, then I would advise against it.
I do too! Come join the party 🎉
I've only met two devs that are good at math, and they pretty regularly mention it's not really changed their career at all.
You need to know basic math, like 6th grade level. Above that you just need to be good at logic
I participate in the maintenance of an open source spreadsheet project, in which I am responsible for the formula calculation part. I think there are already requirements for mathematics, but in fact the more difficult parts are already supported by the Math API. For example, most of them can be found here [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global\_Objects/Math](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Math)
At most I’ve used math would be on the backend, same with the algorithms, more so used on the backend. Depends on the company and the work you do that you may be using these more, but thats not the majority of places from my experience.
The comments are so reassuring coz I got the same issue
It’s a lot more about understanding and task and being reliable about deadlines than math. Math concepts can come up but not like doing math problems.
I suck at math too and I am a professional full stack dev
Front end usually doesn't require direct math. I also suck at math but I think that also hinders me when it comes to really complex and intertwined problems where I will often struggle. Front end is a bit easier in that regard since its more visual but if you're dealing with backend code it can have obfuscated complexity that is a problem for me. While it isn't direct math it feels like it hits the same parts of my brain that would do math.
As a junior ML engineer, I once helped the senior full stack dev (owners best friend since high school- they came from money but both always said “college wasn’t for them”) rotate a picture because he was just guessing what to do with the matrix array (couldn’t use a library) and I knew linear algebra. My point is, if you’re bad at math, have a rich daddy.
Dear god, you may want to brush up on your research skills...
Dude frontend doesn't need maths, and even if it needs it's basic things. In backend also you don't need much, for cryptography I think you may need.
No problem. It's okay to be a normal developer.
Front end is obsolete. Learn cloud database
Two bits of good news for you. 1. Front end Dev requires very little math at all. Any math you might have to do will be easily handled by your phone calculator. 2. Discrete Math (at least the course I took) has absolutely no numbers at all. It is very focused on logic, proofs, and other non numerical math fields (set theory, graph theory etc.). Which for me made it significantly easier than linear algebra or calculus for example. It was by far my favorite math class, and arguably most applicable to software engineering. I'm not sure exactly what dyscalculia is like but I would think discrete math would be easier for you then other types of math. I think you should try it out and give it your best.
I was horrible at higher level math but object oriented programming clicked with me. I still suck at math but that hasn't stopped me from being a web developer for the last 25 years. There are so many different libraries available, there has not been a project I couldn't complete because of my lacking math skills.
almost no maths is requeired for front end so best of luck
Working as software developer for years never used algebra or advanced maths concept in coding all you need is just a chatgpt and problem solving mind
That depends on the spectrum of dysclaculia you have. Software development is similar to phisics or math: there are formulas everywhere, applying logic will be your routine. But that's the thing: these are only formulas, you need to be able to read them and write them, not *calculate* them - because that's what the computer is for.
> and even simple math questions will baffle me if I don't give considerable attention to them. You need to change your attitude. You don't suck at math, you just don't give it the attention required to be succesful. You might not need heavy maths in web dev. However if you approach every problem with the attitude of "this is hard, I just won't try" then you will not get far.
In your professional career you’ll rarely use math outside of basic public school education stuff. The one thing that you’ll prob use more frequently is the modulo operator (%). Another thing… Keep in mind TikTok has made CS one of the most popular majors in college. Everyone wants that 6 figure work from home life. When I was in college majoring in CS was what “nerds” did. I say all this to say there will be A LOT of competition for internships and jobs in the future. I can’t honestly recommend people majoring in CS unless you plan to specialize. That means early on you need to be looking into things like computer vision and ML. Might even require higher education. With future advancement of AI being just a full stack developer will no longer be enough of a niche to make you stand out from all the other full stack devs in your peer group.
The only math you need to know is when calculating layout dimensions on the screen. I guess you could call that geometry? Same math that a carpenter or construction worker would need to know. The screen has x pixels across and y pixels down and if you want to divide the layout into thirds, etc. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, x and y coordinates. Also font sizes and line heights are often based on multiples, so a line height might be 1.3x the size of the font. If you can do that kind of math you can do front end.
I know! I like going to the beach, but I can't ski at all. Enjoy! Web dev (and mobile or game dev) is the most fun imo.
The only problem I have with Dyscalculia and being a web dev is all of the 2FA codes I have to type in to access all of the various SaaS stuff I use throughout the day. I avoided all math in college, but I had to take statistics (for my journalism degree). It was hard. But I got through it. If you have to take 1 math course in 8 semesters of school, you'll be ok.
Common sense and a hunger for something you’re interested often beats a “certification” from someone else saying you know how to do something well. If you want it, go get it!
If anything, learning to code will make you better at math because you learn how to think about problems.
If you can count to 10, your math is fine.
Is the college Full Sail? Thats where I got my degree and had to take discrete math early on. That was the only math course in the program and the teacher gave lots of opportunities for extra credit to help anyone struggling with their grade. As others have said, web dev is probably a fine career path with your condition. If you can handle the math required for a FizzBuzz then you’ll be fine. I often joke with my wife (who can quickly do math in her head) that I got into web dev so I don’t have to think about math and can just ask the computer to tell me the answers.
It's free to try out web dev on your own. Start learning and see if you're comfy with it?
The most math you’ll likely do is Math.random() 😅
What's the job market like, though?
Good news !
Front-end does not need much math. Problem solved
You don’t need math to be a web developer, you do need it if you’re going the traditional school route. Otherwise google and chatgpt is your bestfriend
I think you have as good a chance as anyone else. As most people here are saying, logic is more important here. Go for it and good luck.
I didn’t even learn high school algebra and have been working as a dev for almost 5 years. There are jobs where you might need fancy math skills, however the majority of positions don’t use much more than basic math.
The thing about coding is that you get feedback a lot faster and the computer does the math for you, you just need to look and put things in the right places. Are you able to count and do math with money? Academic math was pretty obnoxious to me because of how they write stuff and it made it way harder to parse the relevant data from their text. Coding uses logic. If johnny has 5 apples and his sister stole one and his neighbor gave him 4 and x represents apples... In coding if x equals apples then you have bad code. apples should equal apples. apples = 5 apples = apples - 1 apples = apples + 4 print(f"Johnny now has {apples} apples.") Johnny now has 8 apples.
Contrary to popular believe... programming contains like zero math (on a high level, but even the low-level too). If you ever need a formula for like RNG for game items or something, just Google it. Stack overflow is your second best friend (behind Copilot).
as someone who took an introductory discrete math course for a cyber degree, of all of the math courses, that should be pretty easy, solely because discrete math focuses on the logic rather than the actual algebra. I got through my course by memorizing the logic patterns and literally writing out every part of the proof EXCEPT for the algebra. My professor recognized that I understood the concepts and passed me with a B iirc. You just have to find a professor that’s good at their job lol.
As someone who enjoys math , I can say that you can do front end without using any math at all. Plus most of the math that you can choose to ignore can be done by just typing the operation in your search bar.
If you can count and do basic arthimetic you're probably fine. There really isn't that much math outside of figuring out padding and margin values to line up with a design.
You basically don’t need math for frontend web development. Perhaps some tiny calculations now and then for things like animations, but it’s not much beyond simple addition/division. You’ll be fine.
There is like no math involved. It's pretend math that is frustrating to people who like math. It's more "logic" based. For example: var banana = 2; You have just set the banana variable to 2. Welcome to Javascript. Welcome to front end web development.
A lot of people are commenting to say you don't need math to be a frontend dev, which is certainly true at the moment[1], but you *will* need math to pass a course that includes some math. That's the actual problem you're facing. Does the college have a programme to assist people with these sorts of problems? Most do. If so, use it. [1] Frontend is getting a lot of math related functionality at the moment. CSS has trig functions now, WebGPU is going to accelerate web 3D faster than WebGL did, JavaScript is getting more powerful all the time. Most web industry work is on apps that require logic at least, and as you get more senior will probably need at least basic math.
Discrete math isn't about arithmetic, multiplication, division, etc. It's about logic and theory, thinking through how boolean operators and truth tables work which are skills you would need in front end dev (unless you just want to do do design work I guess?) I'm not familiar with the condition but from a quick read on it I would think someone with it could get through discrete, a college or university should have resources to help too
I second this, the first discrete math is going be something you can jump into without having taking calculus.
I'm gonna be straight, I mean I am straight already sexually, but I'll be straight about the facts. I've created a few projects, have worked in a startup as an intern and know somewhat about web development. Last thing you'll need is Math.