Recent content by AccAcc

Download GNU Octave. It is the free, but uglier, equivalent. Most basic functions/scripts/programs are compatible between the two. If you aren't on Unix/Linux, download Cygwin, a Unix interface for Windows. If you install everything, it will typically have Octave contained.

Yes, to all three questions. - The USPAS program acts as a way to give introductory course work for Accelerator Physics at schools that don't have a devoted class for the subject. - I don't know if it alone qualifies you to work at a lab, as I think a very small % of the attendees are "at...

This is what I was going to comment on. There is a TON of research on the topics. Wakefields (dielectric or plasma), free-electron laser radiation sources, bunch generation from cathodes... the list goes on. There's also a lot of numerical methods and modeling for E&M, as models can be...

I was dealing with a pushy recruiter a few weeks ago. It's hard to come up with a number, especialyl for jobs that require relocating. Salary expectations differ wildly between New York, Chicago, and the SF Bay area.

What do you consider unskilled labor? What category do the giant boatload of physicists that have gone into Finance/Data Science/Consulting/Insurance fall under?

I'm with Vanadium on this one. No survey methodology is perfect, and the AIP likely makes it appear a bit rosier than it early is, but that is no reason to replace reported statistics with guesses or anecdotes.

How are you counting papers? Lead author-only, or just being included on papers by groups of what size? Three lead-author / year sounds completely insane.

I don't think that really applies to my situation as it stands. I have funding until the end of January, a 14 page draft of a paper that we are getting ready to submit, and around 160+ pages of dissertation that I'm in the process of editing. I don't really know what the grant issues are if...

Well, a (legitimate, non-scam) recruiter that I applied to just got back to me, but my defense four months from now is "too early" for the positions they are in contact with. So... I guess that is a sign that I'm more on top of things than I thought. Still, having a non-postdoc job lined up...

What are you doing to even get informational meetings? Are you just asking through linked-in? How you push for it, and under what context?

What should I do to convince potential employers that I really want to leave Physics, and won't be bailing for a postdoc position?

No, you're not screwed for life. Try your best to overcome the 'all or nothing' idea, as it leads to nothing but stress and depression. if you had to go to Caltech, MIT, or Harvard to get a job there'd, be a... uh... 99% unemployment rate, or something. Getting a B in calculus reveals that...

I'm in accelerator physics, which nearly nobody leaves because of how favorable the job market is. Graduate school hasn't been the best experience for me, which is why I'm prefer to leave physics in general and not just academia. Industry connections have been hurt by government funding; a...

I want to make the transition to industry right post-Ph.D. What did you do to make the transition? Was it networking or regular applications? What did you do to make the network/connection, if that is what it required? I'm in an isolated field with a low transition to...

Question 1: 0% (rounded) immediately upon graduation. For National Lab jobs, Chemistry and some branches in Physics have at least some chance. After 1 postdoc, in Physics it would be about 10%. I don't know enough about the other fields to comment. Question 2: Near 0%? Don't aim too far...