Another major strike that most advanced math has going against it is that there's generally no practical application for it. In school, we'd joke about how we were never gonna use calculus, trig, or differential equations, but it wasn't until I was squarely in middle age did I realize we were right. Now I'm sure there are some hardcore STEM professions were that stuff does get used (i.e. rocket scientist, statistician, etc.), but there are lots of other STEM fields where you'll never see it ever again.
Meanwhile other skills like following the scientific method, time/project management, giving presentations, and conducting research -- these have always been useful. But not once have I ever in my adult life needed to know the cosine of 30 degrees.
and don't judge me.
