I Don't Do Maths

No really, I don’t do maths!  When I was at school my Dad spent hours trying to help me with my maths.

Happily this problem hasn’t hindered my career and I’ve enjoyed various jobs including; rent arrears officer  for a London Local Authority, proprietor of a hardware store, and more recently project manager responsible for monitoring a budget and now being responsible for setting the most important (so I’m told) budget in the organisation.  It never ceases to amaze me when I get it right, even though the way I reach the answer often involves the most convoluted formulae you can imagine, it’s just the way the numbers part of my brain works!

Today I attended a course all about full costs recovery for budget holders.  It was aimed at the Third Sector where we’re all so hopeless at ensuring we fully cover all the hidden costs of running our projects, apparently.   

I thought I was coping remarkably well.  I didn’t think I was going to show myself up too badly.  However there was a moment when no matter how often the tutor told me what I had to do I couldn’t do it.  It was quite simple really – but I didn’t understand what she meant.  Her instructions just went right over my head, leaving me feeling just like I used to feel sitting at the kitchen table at the age of 12 when my Dad tried to teach me how to do long division, he failed then just as she failed today.

 

I may have thought I’d beaten my maths demons, but they’re evidently still waiting to pounce when I’m least expecting them.