In 2006, Julie Gainsburg studied structural engineers at work for over 70 hours.She found that although they use maths extensively, they rarely use standard procedures. [via the excellent The Elephant in the Classroom.]
“Recognizing and defining the problem and wrangling it into a solvable shape are often part of the work; methods for solving have to be chosen or adapted from multiple possibilities, or even invented; multiple solutions are usually possible; and identifying the “best” route is rarely a clear-cut determination, thanks to the competing priorities of various parties …
[the traditional maths curriculum] with its focus on performing computational manipulations, is unlikely to prepare students for the problem-solving demands of the high-tech workspace”