Pursuing Astronomy with Dyscalculia: Advice Needed

[zeitxgeist]

Hi, I'm new here, and was after some information and general advice on what I need to get done.

For a very long time I've been extremely interested in astronomy, and as a child, and indeed as an adult, it's something that I've always wanted to do professionally. Unfortunately, I have a bit of a dilemma..

I dropped out of school in the 9th grade. Which was 2002 or 2003. Long story short, school and I didn't agree with each other. My formal education more or less stopped dead there. My other issue, although I have not been formally tested, is that I fit all the signs and symptoms of dyscalculia; my parents too used to joke about this when I was younger. I'm chronically awful at math and even with help and study I routinely scored under 50% on most of my school tests, so I'm aware intense tutoring and study will be necessary, not only to catch up, but also to keep up.

I guess what I'm looking for is some advice on whether I should bother pursuing something like this with my nigh on crippling mathematic ability - it's something that I've always loved and wanted to do.

If I do decide to go back to formal education to chase this dream, I also need to know what sort of subjects and education paths would be necessary for this, as I don't know anyone that has ever studied physics and the such at university.

Any help or guidance would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[eri]

There really aren't any jobs in astronomy if you don't have a PhD in astronomy or physics, and that's going to require a lot of math. Calc I, II, III, linear algebra, differential equations, and 4 semesters of math for physicists (2 undergrad, 2 graduate) at the least, and some fields require more as well (topology, differential geometry, etc). You'd want to major in physics in undergrad and take classes in astronomy, math, and computer science, and spend your summers doing research to make sure that's really what you want to do with your life and to get experience for grad school.

I'd suggest starting slow. Start by earning a GED. You'll probably need to take some prep courses, especially in math (you need algebra at the least to pass). If you can get passed that, enroll in community college and work your way up to calculus. If you can do that and do well in your classes (not just barely passing, but B-ish grades) then maybe it's worth a shot.

 

[yenchin]

What are your current state of life? By that I mean are you working full time? Do you have family? Etc. If you need a job to pay bills then going back to school might be hard. Do tell us more about your current financial situation if possible. Also consider how far do you wish to go in studying astronomy - would you be satisfied by learning as much as possible on your own without going formally to courses? If so, you can still make some contributions to science by practicing some serious observations as an amateur astronomer.