I think I've actually used the quadratic formula maybe twice outside of an academic math class in which the quiz question was designed to invoke the quadratic formula.

I'm a computer scientist, one of the more mathematical occupations.

I've never been in a life-or-death situation where I thought, "aha, thank God I memorized that formula in high school!". Also, I don't actually remember it anymore, other than "negative b plus or minus the square root of b squared minus four-a-c, all over two-a".

Well huh. I guess I do remember it, but apparently at a verbal-auditory level rather than visual-symbolic. As usual for me.

Still: I've never had occasion to use that recitation I just made.