I recently bought a used copy of "Mathematical Analysis" by Apostol for \$1.0 and "Probability and Measure Theory" by Robert Ash for \$3.0 (well another \$3.99 for shipping)! When I read the first few chapters of these books it made me believe that there were many concepts that I was taught as an engineer that lack mathematical rigor and many proofs with handwaving arguments. It bugs me a bit but at the same time it is understandable to some degree. I was so excited to continue reading the books and getting nice and clear understanding of some of the concepts but I came across this post today Can I use my powers for good? and got cold feet :(
I don't want to be a mathematician but I don't want to end-up feeling "so what!?"
I guess I'm just looking for some advice from the other side of aisle, mathematicians of course :) Should I continue what I felt "really exciting" and dive into rigorous math, or stay focused on what I've been doing for the past 15 years (practicing engineering and enjoy elementary but challenging math problems and pyzzles as a hobby) and forget about all this?
Thanks!