To be slightly horrified at how poor my basic skills are?

[primrosesandmaths]

In my professional, graduate profession, I have just been told I have to work out something as a percentage.

I have no idea how to do it.

I shall google - it isn’t an advice thread as such, but my maths is just dire and I can’t help wondering if this is common or whether I am an imposter in my role.

Sideways how are you meant to know what you don't know?

Well surely you know that you can't calculate a tip, or what 20% off your order is? How would you not know you don't know that?

Because people go into genuine denial (oh I always tip £2, £5 Cba working out a percentage) or THINK they know and calculate it wrongly as I said.

Then they won't recognise themselves re my comment then, will they? I'm talking (as I said in my post) about people who say "I don't know that because I was never taught at school". They know they don't know, but they blame someone else instead of just learning it.

I agree it's possible to learn it online etc. But I'm also one of those that gets extremely anxious beyond arithmetic levels of maths and feel "I can't do maths"

The op herself (with humour) has described herself similarly.

And while it's possible to continue learning as we get older it is harder and people have other "stuff" going on too. I think a lot of people end up trying to learn through helping children with homework only to find (as I did) that the methodology is so different from the way we were taught as to be confusing. Eg when Dd was learning long addition and subtraction was taught to work from left to right - I couldn't get my head round that as it made carrying over so hard to work in!

Sorry possibly unclear - meant to say lack of confidence as pps have said a big factor.

I studied economics and spent most of my 3 years doing maths. I then worked in fixed income with yields and working out basis points in my head.

It's something which is drilled into you. I don't think it's hard. It's just doing it over and over again. Also, maths is logic. You have to teach it systematically. Singapore math that is used here in America is all over the place. It's awful.

i get that, its just the attitude I don't like: that education is someone elses responsibility and ends when you leave formal education.

I learned almost nothing at school, I have learned an awful lot since.

I've never heard of Singapore math. Yes it's logical in its mechanics but I agree with pps lack of confidence and anxiety seem to make my brain just freeze at the thought of having to do trig or pi stuff!

its just the attitude I don't like: that education is someone elses responsibility and ends when you leave formal education.I learned almost nothing at school, I have learned an awful lot since.

Have to agree with that. I started secondary as a straight A student. I left with just 1 O level. Due to a crap school and horrendous bullying which the teachers ignored. I taught myself further O levels and A levels and did self/home study for my chartered accountancy qualifications alongside a full time job. I now have the equivalent of a masters degree - not bad for someone who left school with only 1 O level. Obviously it's easier if you get your qualifications at school/uni but it's certainly possible to undo the damage and make amends to improve your education later in life.

I was similar, KazzyHoward. Left school with a handful of O levels instead of fulfilling the expectations. Back in the 70s and 80s, Governments were big fans of life long learning, so it was easy to find classes. I spent all my life going to evening classes, so I have a ridiculous number of O levels/GCEs/whatever. I also eventually went to Uni, and so it goes on.

Until the OU were forced by Government to increase their fees to beyond a level I could afford, I was still enrolling and learning new things.

It seems that our Government is no longer very interested in having a well educated population.

I spent a lot of time in Officers' Messes through OH's job and I was amazed at how many mothers were so blase about their child's poor maths skill because 'I was useless at Maths too' but then got hysterical about the child's reading levels.
Parental attitude is important, if the parent dismisses something as not important than the child will.
All those saying they can't do, say, percentages mustn't have paid much attention in school, they're done to death.

Tilly, my Ds doesn’t know how bad I am at maths as I always look up answers to his homework beforehand. If he needs my help I’m there, ready and informative, looking like I know what I’m talking about.

I’ve recently posted a maths question on an Education thread. Once it’s been answered I have a lightbulb moment but honestly, sometimes I look at a question, especially a reasoning one, and my mind gets quite messy. I honestly feel awful that my maths skills are pretty rubbish but I would never let Ds know how bad I am.

I really don’t know how long I can keep this up for though.

You might think you know, but you "be got it wrong each time? Who 's going to tell you? People would just think that you're either a bit mean or over generous.

look up excel formulas for calculating percentage
I need that all the time for reports and kpi

basic math is absolutely essential and can safe you loads of money. like when we remortgaged and had the choice of higher fee or higher interest. higher fee saved us a good few grand!