AboutCynthia Wolfe Expertise Let me help you with questions about adult education and continuing education programs. If you are looking for a program or have questions about adult education in general, I can guide you. If you are a teacher looking for new ideas or methods, I can help. I have resources and ideas to share. I am a member of the National Business Education Association (NBEA), a professional organization devoted to the recognition that business education competencies are essential for all individuals in today's fast-changing society.
Experience I am an instructor at the University of Phoenix, working in online and classroom modalities. I am also a student at Northcentral University, where I am working on a PhD in Business Administration, with a specialty in Management. My MBA is from Troy University, 2001, and I have a BS, Environmental Science, from Troy University, 1980. Read about my experiences as an online student at my blog thinkPhD.
Question How do you know if you are intelligent enough to do something? I've always struggled with math, but I am interested in being a computer engineer. My father was a civil engineer. However, I dropped out of high school and got me ged. I ended up getting a liberal arts degree because it was easier than professional degrees, but found that to be useless. I want to make the most of my life, and get a degree that is worth something. However, before I attempt to do that, I would like to access whether or not it is right for me. I am very weak in math and sciences, and have no knowledge of calculus.
Answer Hi Corey,
Thanks for asking a question. You have posed a difficult one to answer, as there is no one easy answer. Generally, individuals look at prior successes in an area of study to determine if they are interested or competent in that area. For example, if you are not interested in foreign languages, and if you had taken the requisite Spanish class in high school and made a poor grade, then it is generally true that you are not competent in Spanish and should not major in Spanish in college. However, this is not always true, because some people mature and change and become better students. I have a few friends that barely made it through high school that are now working on their doctorates!
Struggling with math does not mean you are not intelligent enough to take math courses. Perhaps you did not have a good foundation, teachers, or opportunity to learn in a way that matched you. Some people are tactile learners - they learn by touching and doing. If you are in a class that is not hands-on you will not learn as much as you could. You have a liberal arts degree, which usually has a math component. You are also older now and perhaps you are more able to focus on your school work.
You can certainly take some basic math courses to sharpen your math skills. If you go back to college to obtain another degree, you would make sure to take introductory math courses. You could also get a tutor to help you.
A degree is not a guarantee of employment...be careful that you do not equate the two. Many jobs requre a degree and do not specify which kind. So I am concerned that you may be focusing your job search too narrowly.
Now back to your first question...you can take aptitude tests or entrance exams such as the SAT. Yet these are merely indicators of what you knew when you took the test. You should look at your experience and desire to learn a subject also. It sounds like you are comparing your intelligence to others, and believe yourself to be less intelligent. You will ALWAYS find someone smarter than you, so don't fall into this trap. If you are willing to go back to school and work hard, find a subject that truly interests you and you will have a greater change of success in school. And it doesn't have to have a large math component.
