# I don't know what academic major I'm fit for. So I have a solution. Is it the right solution though? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 6, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-academic-major-im-fit-for-so-i-have-a-solution-is-it-the-right-solution-though/640035 "2012-11-06T02:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-academic-major-im-fit-for-so-i-have-a-solution-is-it-the-right-solution-though/640035/21 "2012-11-06T22:57:32Z")
Once upon a time, it made sense to take a couple of years of college to figure out what you wanted to do, or to make yourself a well rounded individual with good critical thinking skills. This is now a luxury that few can afford. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-academic-major-im-fit-for-so-i-have-a-solution-is-it-the-right-solution-though/640035/22 "2012-11-09T09:31:53Z")
> [@pyromyte](#): > > I’ve got to agree. Many majors have a four year path without a lot of room for non essential classes. Engineering, for example, requires Calc I & II, Physics, Chemistry, and engineering electives in the first year. If you enroll in basic gen. ed. classes, it is probably going to cost you a year. While it may not be a total waste, because I’m sure that art history class was interesting and opened your mind like never before, it is costing a lot of money that will have very little monetary return. How in the world does that work out when College Algebra is a prerequisite for Calculus I? Did every engineer just have to test out of Algebra? I honestly didn’t see what you said at all. I was told that the music major was unusual in requiring classes in the first semester. I also know quite a few people who transferred in from a community college, where they took their gen ed requirements while they discovered what they wanted to do. And unless you have something you know you want to do that doesn’t require a college education (and still likely won’t in the future, as that’s becoming more and more a requirement), I definitely wouldn’t recommend forgoing college entirely. Even an associates degree gets you a leg up in many fields. ---
**Author:** ![Soulcatcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Soulcatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soulcatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-academic-major-im-fit-for-so-i-have-a-solution-is-it-the-right-solution-though/640035/23 "2012-11-09T12:31:36Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > How in the world does that work out when College Algebra is a prerequisite for Calculus I? Did every engineer just have to test out of Algebra? If you need to take algebra in college, it’s very unlikely that you are cut out for an engineering degree. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-academic-major-im-fit-for-so-i-have-a-solution-is-it-the-right-solution-though/640035/24 "2012-11-09T17:48:53Z")
That’s pretty much true. I even got a semester credit for the Calc I took in high school. If you don’t come in able to take Calc, you’re behind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-academic-major-im-fit-for-so-i-have-a-solution-is-it-the-right-solution-though/640035.md?page=1)