Academic career Definition and 20 Threads

Something has prompted me to peruse this forum like a morning/afternoon/evening newspaper after I've joined and now I can't help but scratch my head about a few things. See, I'm a traveller from the distant realm of technical universities (which are completely different beasts from non-technical...

I dream of getting a PhD someday and focussing on astrophysics. I would want to work near the west coast so I could take advantage of their clear night sky. I'm only about 45 credits into my undergrad and would appreciate any tips I could implement while moving forward in this career. Also, what...

I am going to be majoring in Engineering Physics at the School of Mines in Colorado. I also want to major in CS, seeing as I am a female and already considered worth less than my male counterparts [salary-wise]. I might be thinking ahead, I am taking the required science still to get into a...

Hi everyone, l have a situation and l thought you could help me. Actually, l live in the U.S. and want to apply for several phd programs, but I’m interested in both astrophysics and AMO physics, and l can’t decide which track l should pursue a phd in. I’ve talked to several professors from my...

I have ADHD and some comorbid disorders as well which I'm trying to get treated for. I've just done my first semester of undergrad in physics and I've done pretty terribly; I got distracted a lot of times, didn't know how to manage my time or organize my work, and when I did study math/physics...

I'm not sure how to best put this, but I'm in what seems like an almost un-fixable predicament. I graduated in 2015 with two degrees, one of which is a B.S. in Physics with a minor in Astronomy, the other a B.A. in Russian Langauge (did that one not really for career prospects but because I...

Hello everyone! My goal has always been to be a researcher in physics. I am graduated in Electrical Engineering. My idea was to perform a master's degree and then a PhD, both in physics, with the aim of becoming a researcher. However, at this time I need to work, but I always have the night off...

I saw this article: Academic Superheroes over at Science Daily today and thought people might be interested. It talks about a study of academic job want adds and how the criteria are so specific it's nearly impossible to meet them all. Is this just a symptom of an oversupply of PhDs? From the...

In the past it appeared that in some institutions, the very fact that a postdoc could get research funding on his/her own might have been the impetus for them to continue to hire his/her as a staff member. As much is stated in the PhysicsForums guide...

I have a goal of starting a new program in a particular school. It's an established program and the school has all the pieces of it (contributing departments with the right specialties)... but... if you want to be involved in cross-department research, early on in your career, who do you apply...

Hi everyone, I'm trying to get some ideas of how academia should be structured. I created this thread to learn how you go about being an academic scientist in different countries, who pays for it, to see what works and what doesn't, what has or hasn't been tried. An overview of academia...

I'm graduating in May with a B.S. Math and Physics Minor. I really don't want to teach, but I think I would enjoy something like mathematics curriculum development/assessment, etc. Of course, this would generally be outside of academia - at least at the university level. However, in my search...

Hi all, I'm somewhat confused about what I'm going to do next in my career. My studies are going well so far, I'm getting good grades, and I'm sure I'd be able to get a job once I get my masters (I'm a physics/math double major, by the way). However, now that I'm getting there, the question...

Hi, I am currently a Bachelor student in Physics, and I am planning to pursue an academic career. If everything works out as planned, I am going to obtain my Bachelor degree in the summer and my Master degree 2 years later. Sometimes, when I look ahead with this plan in mind, I wonder...

I am interested in being a physicist, but I want to know what kinds of careers most theoretical physicists pursue. If I want the opportunity to do research and further advance our knowledge and understanding of physics, should I pursue a career in academia? Would I get a chance to do that...

How can you tell whether an academic career is for you or not? Can you tell it from one's characteristics or personalities?

How would a criminal record (while obtaining a Phd) affect one's academic career, if any at all?

As some of you might have read in my other threads I am thinking about studying physics at the university, but I have not made up my mind yet. One of the things that worries me is that the math and the general abstractness of the subject will be too hard for me to grasp. Math was definitely my...

Hey This will be my first post on this forum, but I have been reading posts for quite a while. I find it really insightful. Now, I could use some of the people here's help. I need to decide whether I should do Electrical Engineering or Physics. I have been offered early admission to the...

Did anyone read any good books with advice on developing your academic career starting from grd school? Or everyone is just spontaneous or listening to what your prof says. I find that for people, who are not absolute geniuses it's necessary to know this kind of stuff to succeed in making a...