there is no point in doing it yourself from scratch.
Learning. The point is to learn.
You don’t have to learn everything that way, but you understand things a lot better when you’ve built them from scratch, and that underlying foundation enhances the entire knowledge stack.
Yes really, if your job requires lots of calculations you’d be stupid not to have one, even back when they were expensive.
Every machinist I know, even the crusty old ones, carry a calculator in their pocket. It’s indispensable. Why wouldn’t you carry one if you need it all the time?
A good deal of IT work, too (lemmy.world)