BC, thats the point. Academic qualifications dont convert into success in this career, in fact, my experience is that it is quite the opposite. Your comments support my observation that academic qualifications do not translate into being a good operator, or manager for that matter, therefore, whether intended as a wind up or not, wakeup call's original comment was actually complimentary, even if his original intent wasn't.
I have found the 3 and 4 times tables far more useful in my flying career than calculus and complex numbers.