But I wouldn't major in math. I don't know what mathematicians do for a living. Other than teach... I went to school to get a job!
Most of them apply the maths they learned, the problem identification and the problem solving techniques/disciplines they learned to... real world problems.
They went to university to do something they enjoyed and to get jobs.
Yes, the math is important. But it needs to be taken in the context of the OPs situation.
Starting a hobby! Can a new hobbyist get anywhere without years of math? Of course! Can an engineer? Nope!
Nowhere did I ever want to get into the stupid argument of 'degrees are worthless'; they're not. Yes, there are talented technicians who can do some clever engineering. But when it gets down to it, on average, the degreed engineer makes more money. One company I worked for, one of the largest in the world, didn't think much of BS degrees. Sure, they were required, as a minimum, but to really get anywhere you had to have at least an MS. Oddly, the major wasn't as important.
So, let's take this back on track. Can a
hobbyist get anywhere in electronics without years of math? In my view, YES! There are tools to take the drudgery out of crunching numbers and the equations are pretty well known. But it's also true that some amount of math will be required.
And by experimentation, I wasn't talking about 'random walk' or 'Mozart's Monkeys'. I was thinking about the simple RC low pass filter I was playing with the other day. From the equation f
c=1/(2*PI*R*C), I can predict the corner frequency and I know the roll-off of a simple RC filter. I can model the filter in LTspice using ideal components, I can measure it's response using real components with my Analog Discovery (using the neat Network Analyzer Tool) and I can work out the math by hand.
Now, from the equations, I can surmise that changing the value of R or C will move the corner frequency and I can predict how far. But it's just as useful to change the resistor and measure the results.
Experimentation, not random walk. Knowledge gained from both sides: the math and the experiment. Fortunately, it will work out (at modest frequencies).
The very type of experimentation we did in lab classes. Calculate, build, measure and explain the differences.