Is calculus required to transfer or could you wait and see if it is taught better at ASU?
YES – for those who aren’t going to school on loans and parents’ dime, college is tough to balance with working and other responsibilities. You are not crazy to think so.
In person tutoring and assistance is best, but if that doesn’t work with your schedule, there are many YouTube channels with calculus lectures and tutorials. Another website to try is patrickjmt.com
I had a friend who failed calc twice (as a computer engineering major no less!) So the next quarter he took the calc again and a racquetball class (to cover a requirement) and that’s it. He worked with a tutor, talked with his prof, figured out what worked for him to learn math, and went on to get a degree and later his masters. If you aren’t having success in a subject you have to work harder or smarter to get through it, or choose a different direction to go around it.
One other thing I noticed in your posts was a serious note of despondency. You can’t set your self-worth by the last grade you got in calculus. This may be a huge moment in your life where you are confronting a potential direction change, so don’t face it alone. Keep slugging it out on the calculus front, but be sure to take advantage of all the services your school offers. That means academic advisers to see about alternative programs and also the student counselling office (or whatever it’s called at your school) to have someone to talk to about the expectations of others and the stress of balancing things. Just having someone outside your home to go vent to occasionally can be very helpful. Good luck.
Oh, and my son is graduating this year from a good private high school. He’s ignoring everyone around him and heading to a two year program in the trades. (He too always hated math. 
) He’s going to go be a heavy equipment operator, possibly cranes, and they’re placing everyone these days. Lots of guys retiring and they’re looking for people. Want to weld? That’s another one. Something to consider.
@StPaulDad Thanks for the motivating story you shared here. My Spring semester just ended today and fortunately, I passed my Calculus 1 course with a 71% or a low C after finally passing one chapter exam with a very good grade and did OK on my final exam. It may not be a good grade by college standards but it’s still a passing grade and I can try to make up for it for my next classes. Now all I have to worry about is my last two upcoming Summer 2018 semester classes(University Physics and Digital Design Fundamentals/CSC120) before I finally get my Associate’s at the end of the Summer Semester and finally transfer to ASU.
Lately I’ve been thinking about taking a 1 semester break after getting my Associate’s so I can take the time to rebuild my math foundation(by practicing some more Calc 1) strong enough to be ready for the Math placement test at ASU, catch up with my bills, and then register for my classes in Spring 2019 since even if I show actual proof to ASU that I’ve taken and passed Calculus 1, they’ll still make me take the Math placement test in order for me to be able to register for any of my classes. I’m reluctant to do that right now since I don’t know if it will affect my Financial Aid granted to me and if I’ll have to re-apply at ASU for Spring 2019 and go through a lot of unnecessary hassle for myself and my parents.
Anybody can fix lack of motivation. But I agree that not everyone is intellectually suited for college.
@Grijalva480 why don’t you contact ASU and find out if you can defer your enrollment to the spring, and if you do, if there will be an impact on your financial aid? Sounds like you might need to refuel your tank after this summer and your plan for studying for the placement test seems like a good one. Congrats for persevering and passing!
Maybe consider an entirely different path:
Consider this course decription from CMU’s game design department:
Game design sits at the crossroads of many different disciplines–programming, art, writing, design, engineering, psychology, and more. This course takes a practical approach to programming and how it can be used to make one a better game designer. Through individual & collaborative projects, students will learn programming tools, techniques for working with data, methods of working with teams, and prototyping strategies. This course is geared toward non-programmers looking to add programming to their game design toolset.
What are your own personal strengths? Maybe a degree in something other than a STEM field would be appropriate. There are plenty of good careers to be built around degrees outside of STEM. Your attitude is more important than your degree - if you think your degree is worthless, it will be. Education at a liberal arts college isn’t really so much about the major, as it is about learning how to learn, and how to apply your skills across disciplines. If you struggle with Calc I, you’re probably going to struggle with advanced programming classes. Instead, find a different path to the career you want.
Have you considered looking into ASU’s polytechnic campus in the East Valley? It has more applied, hands on technology programs, like IT, and are not as math intensive.
https://campus.asu.edu/polytechnic
How were your grades in precalculus and other math courses? If those were shaky, then you may not get a high enough score on the placement test for whatever it is they’re looking for. So you are right to be a bit apprehensive.
I understand your opinion, but think of this instead:
Community college compares to high school in a way: you go home every day of the week after classes. Living at college makes you learn independence. Yes, the tuition may be expensive, but that’s just how college is. How can they expect to run a college if they don’t have enough money to do so?
Continuing with independence, how do you expect to learn how to live on your own or with others if you never get the opportunity to do so? IMO, living on campus helps you help how to balance work and free time. Once you master managing those 2 aspects, then you’ll be ready to live on your own after college.
Living with your parents is still okay after college until you get on your feet, but for me, I wanted to experience young adulthood on my own, so that’s why my parents thought it was a good idea to send me an hour away from home.