Answer: One of the hardest questions for many math teachers to answer in a way that is relevant to students is: “why do I need to know this?” “For the next course you take”, the easiest answer in many cases, does not answer the question that was usually being asked. My answers to this question obviously depend on the topic being studied at moment, and I don’t have “good” answers for all topics… but here is my list of key life skills I learned directly or indirectly from math class, with some examples of situations where I find them indispensable.