Career Definition and 1000 Threads

I am going to community college this summer with a focus on physics. I am VERY excited! I know it’s early to ask this, but is a PhD in physics worth it career wise? I hear actual jobs in physics are few in number, but they open up possibilities in other fields. Is it worth it in your opinion?

I am a 2nd year BSc Physics student in India. But due to a change of interests, I now want to become a mathematician. I wish to do my PhD in the TOP programs in the world. (I want an inspiring environment full of people more capable than me.) My uni doesn't allow a major switching, and I can't...

My friend is in his second year of a Computer Science (CS) degree and also has strong content creation skills (video editing, design, etc.). He’s passionate about his creative work and wonders if CS skills could complement or enhance his content career. Are there specific ways he could combine...

A little bit about myself. I am BSc graduate (in math and physics combined), graduated in 2011. After graduating my BSc I then pursued MSc also in both of them, though I didn't finish writing my theses in both of them. Last year I started an MSc in EE without thesis component, since my work as...

For example, Andrew Wiles worked on Fermat's Last Theorem for several years straight, or take Don Knuth, who has been writing The Art of Computer Programming (TAOCP) for an incredible 60 years. And here I am, constantly drifting from one subject to another, unable to stick with one thing for...

Hello, This is my first post on this forum, and I am looking for some career advice. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and 4 years of experience in the medical device manufacturing industry. Recently, I have begun the journey in becoming an entrepreneur a separate field due to the...

I am not in the position to answer the question but I have seen this as part of S.O.P. which some students are asked to write. I feel curious and try to think on this. A real answer is possible, maybe even an honest answer is possible. Or is the question, unanswerable? Should any prospective...

Recently @Ackbach posted a thread “Discuss Ten Simple Rules for Effective Statistical Practice”. He cites an article from PLOS (Public Library of Science) “Ten Simple Rules for Effective Statistical Practice”. The article references the article “Ten Simple Rules for Writing a PLOS Ten Simple...

Hello, first of all, I would like to apologize if this type of question has been asked too many times and has made people bored. But this question really affected me to the point of depression. So I thought some kind but realistic people here could give me really sensible advice and I decided to...

Hi everyone, I completed my Bachelor's in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) in 2022 and worked at a company for one year. However, I decided to quit, and now I find myself struggling to recall much of what I studied during my degree. I'm passionate about science but feeling...

Hello, I will start with some background, I'm 35, I have 2 bachelor's degrees: one in chemical engineering and the other in genetics/biotechnology. In my country there is no major/minor system, so I studied both careers at the same time in different colleges. You would say I have two majors. It...

Not much, I'm new on the forums and want to study physics as my third career

I am currently a high school graduate trying to plan my career. I am aware this does not count much in the higher scale of things, but the one thing i was really interested in since my elementary school years has been science. And i always liked to imagine myself being a "scientist" when i was...

Hey, some questions are bugging me about career choices available. First my background> Masters in physics from non programming type degree(remove c and matlab). So as you can see from above i have to do masters again for job prospects in america ,germany,uk,canada etc. Now questions are:what...

Hi, I am a new guy who has graduated with Master of Astrophysics. Looking for a career in Astrophysics and some insights here. Nice to meet you!

Hello, I'm Andy and I'm looking forward to intellectually stimulating questions and discussions on the PF. Educational background was BSAE from U. of Colorado-Boulder and MSME from U. of California-Irvine. Professional background is combination of mostly flight test but also aircraft design...

Hello, so I recently posted about wanting to become an engineer and physicist and after reading the great responses, I thought to myself why dont I get a bachelors of science degree in Electrical engineering and then move on to an Astrophysics PhD so I could become both an electrical engineer...

I’m in my 2nd year of a B.Sc. in Physics and unsure which field to pursue. I thought my next career would be based on what I'm interested in, but there are many fields in physics, and I don’t know where to start my self-study to explore them. What should I begin with?

Due to economic problems I only can take one of these two degrees, in my local university, Software Engineer degree or a Math degree. However after taking one of those degrees I’m thinking of saving money to take a Physics degree in another University (I will be 26 after taking the Bachelor of...

I'm taking my next steps as my main dream is to have a pHD work in a research setting like a lab that's harder said then done. I got accepted into a BS program that's nuclear medicine and I'll be doing some more physics as well so hopefully the goal is to learn more physics and there...

I am considering majoring in either this or electrical engineering, but I am worried because computer science is very popular, the job market is terrible, and also colleges might not except me, and that nvidia's CEO said that coding will be replaced by AI. Please help!!!

As an entry level graduate, I'm exploring some ways to become a propulsion engineer. How can I become a propulsion engineer? What all should I consider to learn (both concept wise and software) ? What are other roles related to the path of a propulsion engineer that one must try?

Hello everyone, I did my studies and finished my master's in natural sciences, only to find out that the ground is too shaky and jobs/prospects are scarce. Also, after long term unemployment, I lost a little my interest in academic work. Since I have a second degree in business administration...

Just turned 30 and was wondering if you would be willing to share stories about your 30s and from either gender. What lessens did you learn, what were your priorities. what you were working on career-wise or school-wise, or what were short or long term your goals? Thanks for your input.

I am passionate about physics and math and science, you've heard the story a million times. I don't know whether I should study in physics or engineering. I find the concept of Engineering Physics really cool. I've heard it still gives you the opportunity to go study graduate physics? (Lets...

I am 23 right now and I was scouring the internet to decide on what to do next. I wanted to be a physicist for all my life but at this time that doesn't seem feasible to me at this time. I haven't been taking all that good care of my health recently and I want to never repeat that mistake again...

Hey, I was just contemplating career opportunities after my Undergrad. I am slightly interested in theoretical physics but I can't imagine doing it the rest of my life. My main interests are nano-photonics and quantum technologies and I am planning to do research in these fields. I am not...

[Can skip everything blue] I have made a few threads in the past trying to get an informed perspective on whether sticking with Physics would be the best thing for me. Although, some of you have made very helpful comments, I am not sure if leaving Physics would be right path for me. I realize I...

hi, Does anyone know how to become a mechanical engineer? is it difficult or easy? thanks.

Hi, I'm an undergraduate student in the US going into their 3rd year (of 4), and I can start to feel the weight of deciding what to do after my undergraduate studies. I'll break down the concerns into 2 main questions, and any advice is greatly appreciated! For context, I am on track to finish...

Hello, I'm a physicist with a PHD from Brazil. I want to know more about physics, correlated knowledge (mathematics, engineering, computing), career, jobs to compare with what I see in my country and estimate trends for the future in the path of physics.

I graduated last June and I’ve been a research technician ever since (at a school different from undergrad institution). When I have energy and am not stressed out about the impressions I’m making in the lab environment, the work I do is still quite enjoyable but more often than not this is not...

KKP Discussion

How did you find PF?: Google Search I'm new to this forum and I am currently 14 years old. I've recently taken an interest in physics(Due to popular science/ books and natural curiosity). But I have no idea what path to take so I could study it. I come from a poor and quite unsupportive family...

Goal/Background I've taken these courses before(from different college/sources but didn't resonate) So my current career goal is to get into computer graphics industry or research. Open to both game engines or simulation graphics Academic goal is to prepare myself for upcoming Computer...

I've recently graduated from EE and was looking for jobs on the market. While I'm looking for any good opportunity that comes my way, I wanted to plan out my career path and how to achieve it in the long-term. That way, when I run into roadblocks and issues on the job, I'll be able to think...

Don't follow your passion

HELLO ALL, First off, my apologies if this topic is redundant, but I was wondering which programming language is widely applicable to a physics career. What positions in a Physics related career use what specific languages? What is one's best option if one is pursuing a research position versus...

Summary: Should I major in math, physics, or astrophysics? Hello. I want to be an astrophysics professor someday. Does anyone have experience on whether I should be a math major, or a physics major, or an astrophysics major? And whether I should get B.A or a B.S? Thank you.

I graduated Bioengineering BSc and I am currently a MSc student in the field of Biomaterials and Biomechanics. Next year I will finish this master and I am interested in searching for job. I do not know what kind of job can I apply for with my master degree. I would like to search and prepare me...

I recently graduated last year with a BS in Physics. To say that it was rough would be an understatement. I started off my degree very well, getting nearly all A's and A-'s. My performance would decline for various reasons, though mostly due to mental health which spiraled and became a bad...

Hi everyone, I'm from an Asian country, and graduated with M.Sc. degree in nuclear power engineering last year from a university in Russia. Since then, I have been looking for jobs related to nuclear engineering but no luck up till now. Seeing that nuclear energy is getting trendy now in...

Is self-nomination common for career awards in science and engineering? I was under the impression that nomination for awards is only by others but apparently self-nomination is an option too. Any PF member has an experience in this to share?

I am 18 and currently in the middle of taking a gap year from high school to college. I am going to college this fall, and I want to go into college with a better grip on what I want to do than I have now. I absolutely love physics, science, and math. I also have a huge attachment to the idea of...

Rewarding career after physics graduation - Mysterious money ? ====================================================== Thanks for your response to my threads. This is an interesting forum to seek an insight on this subject. I am surprised by recent piece . Physics professor mysteriously sent...

At the start of univerity I had a huge problem that really threw me off track. Thus during the first two years (4 year total due to masters) I focused my time on the core maths modules (maths 1, 2, 3, 4). In year 3 and 4 I sorted the problem and really got my head down and ended up achieving a...

Is data science in demand? Is data science hard? How many hours do data scientists work? Is it hard to find a job as a data scientist?

Hi y'all, I'm a 3rd year undergraduate, finishing up a BS in physics and a BA in political science. I've been working at a computational physics lab since freshman year, my GPA is pretty good (3.73 right now), and I'm pretty involved in campus leadership. I love physics and the lab I'm working...

For example, Terrence Tao has an endowed research position where he is able (paid to) through grants and school salary to do whatever research he wants. Tao does research in pure and applied math. This is rare of course, but I haven’t been able to find any information on this in physics...

Hi Everyone, As the title suggests, I'm looking for some career advice. I want to go into software development (but feel free to suggest any other areas where I might be a good fit, I've also been looking at risk analysis positions). I have experience in a bunch of different areas but it feels...