> I'm sure a significant number of engineers and STEM professionals feel (as I do) that they're deliberately eschewing those subjects not for a lack of interest, but rather as a response to market demand
That's the point -- the "math myth" is specifically in relation to math (and science) skills as being of particular importance as a comparative advantage over other countries (Russia, Germany, Japan, India, China) where these fields are perceived to be prioritised higher in education.
If there's low market demand for the skills, it's unlikely that countries with a higher supply of those skills can leverage them to surge ahead in comparative advantages.
That said, I don't think I agree with the conclusion. Most people who are good at something don't particularly know they are, and few can explain why they are, so just asking them is useless. Sure, math and science are probably of limited value in their distilled, pure forms, but my impression is that most successful people in computers and software do subconsciously draw on a fairly solid math/science basis on a daily basis, even if they never consciously sit down to apply science to a problem.
I took particular issue with the Accenture anecdote - we can all laugh at useless consultants all day long, but I've met more than a few who can pick inconsistencies (not validate hard math, but "why is that number so low when that is so high, and is revenue in X really only a third of Y" style things) out of a wall of numbers in what seems like an instant. You don't do that without a solid math foundation, even if you don't think you use it.
I've always thought trigonometry was one of the more useful things I did learn in school. Comes in handy a lot with carpentry and building projects. It's kind of cool when you realize that most of the shortcuts and rules-of-thumb that the old timers and carpenters use all the time can be derived from trigonometry, even if they never formally learned it that way.
That's the point -- the "math myth" is specifically in relation to math (and science) skills as being of particular importance as a comparative advantage over other countries (Russia, Germany, Japan, India, China) where these fields are perceived to be prioritised higher in education.
If there's low market demand for the skills, it's unlikely that countries with a higher supply of those skills can leverage them to surge ahead in comparative advantages.
That said, I don't think I agree with the conclusion. Most people who are good at something don't particularly know they are, and few can explain why they are, so just asking them is useless. Sure, math and science are probably of limited value in their distilled, pure forms, but my impression is that most successful people in computers and software do subconsciously draw on a fairly solid math/science basis on a daily basis, even if they never consciously sit down to apply science to a problem.
I took particular issue with the Accenture anecdote - we can all laugh at useless consultants all day long, but I've met more than a few who can pick inconsistencies (not validate hard math, but "why is that number so low when that is so high, and is revenue in X really only a third of Y" style things) out of a wall of numbers in what seems like an instant. You don't do that without a solid math foundation, even if you don't think you use it.