You are 100% correct about this gripe and the game would be a better place for this problem being fixed. Someone who has been playing less than 2 weeks made this very same remark.
I do want to point out though that I got battle chemistry unlocked in under a week for my first character (in a time when there was no free money from the casino).
You could have spent the week from the first time you posted in this thread to unlock alchemy (even if a few hours at a time just ripping out skulls - but that option is closed if you missed it now).