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Ask HN: Is it possible to learn a subject that you hated or failed at college?

by optbuild on 6/4/23, 1:56 PM with 5 comments

Suppose that you absolutely hated a subject in college because you couldn't relate in class. Maybe you even failed in that subject.

But later in life you learnt that subject on your own because you got involved in a project that made you learn the subject. Maybe you came across a very good book or course.

Has it happened with anyone?

  • by dmfdmf on 6/4/23, 3:33 PM

    I didn't hate or fail math in college but it wasn't my favorite subject in engineering school. Math is now a hobby. In college math was either taught by the math dept. and stressed all the tedious proofs or it was taught in the engineering dept. so we just memorized "recipes" to setup and crank out solutions using math without much foundation or understanding of the math. I know it is a tough line to draw between the theory and the practice/use of math but to me this was the worst possible case and I hated both methods.

    A few years out of school I ran across a math problem (not work related) that was interesting enough to dig in to and started hanging out on math stackexchange and later even bought mathematica to help me understand AND solve problems FOR FUN and I was hooked.

  • by prirun on 6/4/23, 3:54 PM

    I got an F in writing from a Purdue professor, and hated the class. He had us analyze poetry for example, and I just couldn't do it.

    A couple years later I had to take a writing class at Oakland University in Rochester, MI, got an A, and the professor tried to talk me into a career in writing. She was a professional writer herself, working for GM.

  • by 1extrafact on 6/4/23, 3:01 PM

    Yes. Horrible physics experience in high school led me to back off from a science / engineering career. Y2K opened a door back up. I was finally able to learn calculus through Coursera, which let me leverage what I knew how to do (programming) to really figure things out. It’s never too late!

  • by xena on 6/4/23, 1:57 PM

    Yes. Writing was consistently my worst subject in school. It's what I do professionally now. I just kept showing up.

  • by sn9 on 6/4/23, 10:38 PM

    Of course it is.

    It's pretty common for students to fail a course and pass it or even master it later.

    You just have to put in the work. Finding the right resources absolutely helps as well. As does shoring up your foundational prerequisites.