It was May 2020 and the world was confused and confined by a pandemic. I quit my job of 20 years and enrolled in Math 980 online at SLCC. Returning to school was a move I always wanted to make, but never had the nerve. I knew I needed Math and rather than put it off I decided to do it first. Much to my surprise, I discovered that I was pretty good at it. Rather than being the burden followed by failure I experienced in High School, I found it interesting. Good grades reinforced my success, but more importantly, my understanding. After another semester I liked it enough to change my major from an Arts focus in Creative Writing to a Science focus in Engineering.
You may notice this is written in the past tense. That's because I'm currently about halfway through my first semester of Calculus 1. The interest of what lies in the next concept is still alive and well. The success of actual understanding makes the journey pleasant instead of an intimidating burden.
I hope someone who is intimidated by a return to school because of Math reads this and decides to go for it. You may surprise yourself like I did so give it a go and see what happens.