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College Subject That Require No Mathematics

NYL

Loner...
59
Posts
8
Years
  • Good Morning / Good Evening
    My Question :
    Is there any college subjects that require NO mathematics in college and will lead to a good job in future?.
    Maths is not my strong point although im Asian. I'm more into web designing , food science , programming and okay in computers. But not sure if they lead to good jobs. I really want to prove to the parents who called me 'a failure' that i can succeed in something and lead a good life in future.
    I feel really stress about this because i keep thinking myself as a failure too and seeing images of myself leading a poor life.
    (I'm Serious)
     

    Star-Lord

    withdrawl .
    715
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  • While there certainly are Academic subjects that don't require as much mathematical ability (Fine Arts, Arts, etc.) Most institutions are going to want you to take some Science/Math courses because they want you to become a well rounded individual. I know for my degree I'm required to take a few Physical/Applied Science courses despite me mainly studying Colonialism.

    Computer science and the computer sector can lead to some pretty cool jobs from what I know. The thing is that math is going to be involved there whether you like it or not.

    Final word of advice? Try and relax about it. I don't know how old you are but I'm confident you can find a job that fulfills your life.
     
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    NYL

    Loner...
    59
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  • Oh gee.
    Is there a subject that only needs little math?
    Food Technology , Social Science , Web Designing , Media
    Not sure about the ones above .
     
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  • Social science yes if you want to get into the research side, but it's definitely not the main focus. You might have to take some courses that introduce you to research methods in later years, and they might involve some statistics and math. Food Technology I have no idea about, but I'm more familiar with Nutrition. My gut tells me that math is important for both because well, it's food tech and food sci right? You might be dealing with a lot of numbers like "how much do I have to cook this food at this temperature to bring the nutrient level up to this amount" or "how much of this ingredient do I need to give it this texture and how much of it should I add to the container per second". I don't know, but it seems reasonable that there might be math involved. For web design and media I'm going to say not really, but I don't know personally.

    I think your weakness in math is something that's really worth tackling. Try and put your stresses and anxiety about math aside and think about this one thing: math allows you to do a lot of cool stuff that might not even be related to do a job. For example, things like: understanding personal nutrition and exercise, building or creating a sculpture/crafts for fun, budgeting and comparing prices, and so on. I think math personally helps me interact with the world in really profound ways that are valuable to me. In the professional sphere though, math is important for a lot of things, so it's my opinion that anybody should freshen up on it, even if they're not especially good.

    With all that being said, if you want to impress Asian parents, there's always law school heh. It's interesting and valuable if you're into that, but that applies to pretty much all jobs. I would simply suggest that you try and figure out what you're good at and what you might enjoy doing going forwards, and I don't believe that you need a super clear idea just as long as you keep learning about yourself. But don't think that just because you're not good at math right now, that 1) you'll never be good at it and 2) you're going to stay away from it as much as possible because neither of those fates are written in stone.
     
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    NYL

    Loner...
    59
    Posts
    8
    Years
  • Social science yes if you want to get into the research side, but it's definitely not the main focus. You might have to take some courses that introduce you to research methods in later years, and they might involve some statistics and math. Food Technology I have no idea about, but I'm more familiar with Nutrition. My gut tells me that math is important for both because well, it's food tech and food sci right? You might be dealing with a lot of numbers like "how much do I have to cook this food at this temperature to bring the nutrient level up to this amount" or "how much of this ingredient do I need to give it this texture and how much of it should I add to the container per second". I don't know, but it seems reasonable that there might be math involved. For web design and media I'm going to say not really, but I don't know personally.

    I think your weakness in math is something that's really worth tackling. Try and put your stresses and anxiety about math aside and think about this one thing: math allows you to do a lot of cool stuff that might not even be related to do a job. For example, things like: understanding personal nutrition and exercise, building or creating a sculpture/crafts for fun, budgeting and comparing prices, and so on. I think math personally helps me interact with the world in really profound ways that are valuable to me. In the professional sphere though, math is important for a lot of things, so it's my opinion that anybody should freshen up on it, even if they're not especially good.

    With all that being said, if you want to impress Asian parents, there's always law school heh. It's interesting and valuable if you're into that, but that applies to pretty much all jobs. I would simply suggest that you try and figure out what you're good at and what you might enjoy doing going forwards, and I don't believe that you need a super clear idea just as long as you keep learning about yourself. But don't think that just because you're not good at math right now, that 1) you'll never be good at it and 2) you're going to stay away from it as much as possible because neither of those fates are written in stone.

    I'm aiming for web design
    but i'll try to open my mind to maths a little more
    and see if that gives me a chance to
    impress Asian Parents

    Thanks bro
     
    10,769
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  • I'm speaking from an American perspective because that's all I have experience with.

    Most 4-year universities in America are going to want to see some math from you. It's part of the graduation requirements that you have some general education, meaning a little bit of everything from science, math, art, social sciences, etc. Doesn't matter what your major is, you'll have to do at least some math. Anything to do with computers is probably going to want you to do more than the average student, too.

    Of course, that's traditional universities. There are other options out there, trade schools and things like that which I can't really speak to personally, but they are an option and depending on what you'd be learning there then math might not be all that important, if at all present. Food service sounds like the kind of thing where you might need to know some math, but not in the way you would if you were taking a math class with quizzes and tests and all.

    I work at a school and I see a LOT of people who struggle with math. Lots of very bright people who just have a math weakness. It's pretty normal, actually. Math is one of those skills that you have to keep practicing, like a language. (I guess it is a language, really.) Even people who are good at math have to study and refresh if they ever stop using it. Most people aren't good at math and those who are are usually people who use it regularly. The rest of us usually forget it, or at least the complicated formulas and all that higher stuff that comes after arithmetic. The point is, you aren't a failure because you can't math. But don't let failing frighten you or keep you from trying to go for what you want. It sounds like you have some good ideas of what you want to learn so keep moving toward them. If you struggle along the way know that everyone struggles and that there's no shame in asking for help. There are a lot of resources out there, online and elsewhere, for people who have math trouble or anxiety, for independent studying, and so on.
     

    Universe

    all-consuming
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    • Seen Nov 17, 2016
    There are other options out there, trade schools and things like that which I can't really speak to personally, but they are an option and depending on what you'd be learning there then math might not be all that important, if at all present. Food service sounds like the kind of thing where you might need to know some math, but not in the way you would if you were taking a math class with quizzes and tests and all.

    As someone who went to a trade school for a year I can say for certain that you'll be required to pass the math test there. If you don't, you'll have to take a math class until you can pass the test. You have to receive the math credit in order to complete your certificate, no matter what trade you choose to be in.
     
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  • As someone who went to a trade school for a year I can say for certain that you'll be required to pass the math test there. If you don't, you'll have to take a math class until you can pass the test. You have to receive the math credit in order to complete your certificate, no matter what trade you choose to be in.
    That's interesting to know. So you could just take a test and if you did well enough that would be all you'd have to do? The schools I'm familiar with usually have some kind of entrance test, but you still had to take at least one class however well you did. It's just that if you did really well you could choose to take calculus or something advanced like that.
     

    Universe

    all-consuming
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    That's interesting to know. So you could just take a test and if you did well enough that would be all you'd have to do? The schools I'm familiar with usually have some kind of entrance test, but you still had to take at least one class however well you did. It's just that if you did really well you could choose to take calculus or something advanced like that.

    I suppose in trade school they're more focused on the trade classes and getting people into their trades full-time as fast as possible. They mainly just want to see that you can do basic math for the certificate sake.
     

    NYL

    Loner...
    59
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  • Maybe trade school is more of the my type
    im very interested in the trade and will try to get me full-time
    since its basic math i'll go with the trade school see
    if i get approved.
    Thanks Universe - Learned something new

    Thanks Esper for the American Perspective - It was an intresting read
     

    twocows

    The not-so-black cat of ill omen
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  • Any science, technology, or engineering degree is going to require math at least through calculus. I found calculus to be a bit difficult because it was a bit more theoretical, I'm more of a statistics/applied math kind of guy. Most of the math before calculus wasn't terribly difficult, though.

    If you're really set on avoiding math... literature, history, and law all come to mind as ones with potential for well-paying jobs. Philosophy also looks pretty good for various careers, though it's not as specialized; you could go into education, politics, or writing with such a degree.
     

    Her

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    If you're really set on avoiding math... literature, history, and law all come to mind as ones with potential for well-paying jobs. Philosophy also looks pretty good for various careers, though it's not as specialized; you could go into education, politics, or writing with such a degree.

    Yeah, echoing the history part. I despise math with a passion and thanks to my degree of history & political studies I'm yet to take any math courses whatsoever. Though, I think my university might be a bit rare in not making a politics student take a math course at all. However, as far as I know, I'm clear from any and all math for the meanwhile.
     

    Sir Codin

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    It's very worrying to me when I hear that literature, political, history, and law majors don't have to take any kind of math or science courses whatsoever.

    If any of you guys feel like you're bad at something that's actually worth something to employers and to the progression of mankind towards our eventual omnipotence and immortality, go to this website, pick a subject, and spend a few hours every day doing problems and stuff:

    https://www.khanacademy.org/
     
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    Zoroark Cutie

    The Illusion Fox Skyfarer
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  • In my experience, I can probably say that Criminal Justice does not require math, although that is a weird course when it comes to math. Sometimes it is an option, sometimes it is required, and sometimes it is not needed. For me and no matter how I looked at it, it was an option, my college told me it was optional (Although they could've lied, it won't surprise if they were) or I could've skipped it entirely if I was chosen in High School for a certain program where I take the class in High School and it would've gone towards as full credit in college if I did well enough (And I was, although I didn't get full credit because I dropped out of the program because I was not doing so good in it at first. I wish I didn't because I ended up doing good enough by the end that it would've been given full credit.). From what I've seen from some colleges, and this only to American colleges because I do not know if any colleges outside the U.S. do something like this, it will be required if you didn't get a certain score on an academic test or if you didn't take an academic test and it won't be required if you scored high enough. Mostly from what I have seen for Criminal Justice in my experience and from what I've seen from some other colleges, you'll have to take a College Algebra class, which in my experience isn't too difficult (If you take the time to study it, and you're given examples on how to complete it and you study those examples and you don't rush it, it's kinda easy, there are some parts that I still don't understand all that well, but it was fairly easy after a bit of studying.).

    In terms of what you are interested in, I've taken a look at some colleges and they all required some sort of math in those courses. Pretty much anything that deals with science or technology has a high chance of having math be required since math is like science, they are both complex and need to be broken down into small pieces to be fully understand them from the inside and from the outside and the smallest change in something may cause a giant difference in what happens.

    Here's what I advise, if you do end up taking a course that has math then you want to 1.) study, that's a key thing when it comes to math, lots and lots of studying and you want to study it no matter what, you want to memorize every single bit of what you doing and get to know it, 2.) take notes, write down every single little piece of detail about it, and study that as well because if you can't use your notes on tests then you gotta memorize how to work them out, 3.) if it is at all possible, ask your professor or instructor for help in trying to understand how to work something out, take notes on what they say and study it, and if you can't then you move to number four, and lastly 4.) if your instructor or professor is unable to help you, then find an outside source, maybe some friends, classmates, possibly the internet (Although the internet can be a bit iffy at times.), find out how to work it out with or from them, take notes, and study them. Studying math is the most important part, because like I said, math is like science, you need to study them if you want to fully understand them. I know how it feels not to good in math, I was not very good and I'm still not that good when it comes to math, that is why I took every chance I got to try and get to know it even though I really didn't want to and got sick of it, but trust me when I say that studying math a lot, taking notes on it, and finding out how to work them out with some explanation helps a lot.
     

    Spinor

    <i><font color="b1373f">The Lonely Physicist</font
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    I'm gonna be a little critical: You're stressed that you may not find a good job in the future, but you're not really willing to work through some math to improve your prospects?

    So web design: According to BLS, "graphic designers" will face more competition than "web developers" in the US, so it would do you good to understand the technicalities and performance issues of websites. Your employability is best advertised by taking computer science in college.

    But if you're not willing to take some math, there is no way you would go farther than one or two CS courses. Because after you pick up Java or HTML through some introductory classes, the next step is data structures and algorithm analysis, which requires, at minimum, discrete mathematics for CS majors.

    And what about programming in general? At my school (Texas A&M) for instance, since computer science is within the college of engineering, calculus is required, period. That's a dead end for programming, I presume.

    Food science/technology: let's take TAMU as an example again, as they have precisely this major. Calculus freshman year once again. Maybe you can get away with business math instead, but later you get rammed with math-intensive physics, organic chemistry, and statistics, and you're gonna wish you'd taken calculus.

    So, I'd make the safe bet that, unless you go into web graphics/development, you're gonna brush with calculus at minimum. And if you do, and avoid anything remotely math-technical like the plague, I'll bet employers will notice, and you'll just be that less hirable versus any other candidate who instead figured "Gee, I don't like math, but I'll push through because it'll help me learn more in my field." This is all aside from the fact that a math class or two is part of the core curriculum of any university, or even community college.

    I really believe you are highly mistaken in letting you math aversion limit what you want to study. That will not be good for neither college nor the workplace. This is something you should work on for you, not for your parents or anyone else. There should be resources you can use to become comfortable with algebra and trigonometry. You should prioritize a conceptual understanding of math concepts, and be prepared for calculus before you graduate from high school, even if you don't end up taking it at first.

    Now please excuse me as I resume my math/physics major and continue to put off boring history classes. Blargh.
     

    NYL

    Loner...
    59
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  • Thanks everyone was really interested
    with all of your comments they were interesting reads.
    I'm gonna have a little look at Criminal Justice to see of it fits my needs.
    twocows i really like your suggestions maybe trying to
    study history is one solution because i like reading about how
    ww2 started and that stuff it lights up my world.
    Overall everyone's comments were interesting reads
     

    twocows

    The not-so-black cat of ill omen
    4,307
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  • It's very worrying to me when I hear that literature, political, history, and law majors don't have to take any kind of math or science courses whatsoever.

    If any of you guys feel like you're bad at something that's actually worth something to employers and to the progression of mankind towards our eventual omnipotence and immortality, go to this website, pick a subject, and spend a few hours every day doing problems and stuff:

    https://www.khanacademy.org/
    That's a neat site. It's a shame they don't have anything about writing, oration, or languages.
     
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