The STEM Career Flowchart They Don't Show You

Integration constants (+C) are the calculus equivalent of that one friend who shows up uninvited to every party. The meme captures the universal experience of students forgetting to add the mysterious "+C" when solving indefinite integrals, only to have their teacher call them out with the mathematical equivalent of disappointment. That blackboard full of equations is just there to remind you that no matter how complex your solution is, forgetting that tiny symbol will cost you points. The integration constant isn't just a mathematical necessity—it's the teacher's favorite gotcha moment.

Math nerds, unite! This meme perfectly captures the evolution of mathematical sophistication. Starting with the classic "Q.E.D" (quod erat demonstrandum - "that which was to be shown"), moving to the empty box symbol, then the filled black box, and finally... "Q.E.F" (quod erat faciendum - "that which was to be done"). That last panel with the maniacal grin is every mathematician who's ever flexed by using the ultra-rare Q.E.F instead of Q.E.D to end their proof. It's basically the mathematical equivalent of dropping the mic!

Every physicist has that moment of existential panic when they realize they've spent 3 hours staring at equations and still can't explain why particles behave like waves on Tuesdays but solids on Wednesdays! The universe is like that toddler - chaotic, unpredictable, and screaming quantum mysteries at us while we frantically wave our hands trying to catch the mathematical solutions before they disappear into another dimension! And don't even get me started on dark matter... it's basically the universe's way of saying "figure THIS out, smartypants!"

The YouTube algorithm really knows how to kick an engineer while they're down. Nothing says "welcome to your career" like being recommended videos on loneliness right after watching engineering content. The perfect digital reminder that while you're busy calculating stress loads and designing circuits, your social circuit might be experiencing some downtime. The algorithm has spoken: your relationship with differential equations is more stable than your relationship status. At least your CAD models will never ghost you.

Pure mathematicians live in a bizarre universe where proving something exists is a casual beach day, but actually finding the darn thing? That's when the existential dread kicks in! They'll spend months elegantly proving that a solution must exist somewhere in the mathematical universe, then immediately collapse when asked to actually compute it. "Yes, I've proven this function has exactly 42 zeros... No, I have no idea where they are and I refuse to look for them." The mathematical equivalent of telling someone their lost keys definitely exist somewhere without helping them search.

The origin story of every engineer who started with a math degree. Little Billy just wanted to learn about money, but completely misunderstood the lesson. Instead of investing cash, he invested in a math degree—the financial equivalent of buying a boat with a hole in it. Pure mathematicians spend years proving theorems that have no practical applications while living on ramen noodles. Then one day, reality hits and they reluctantly cross over to the dark side of applied science. Engineering: where math majors go when they finally want to afford groceries.