Career Definition and 1000 Threads

Hi everyone, I've just finished my bachelors degree and started grad school. I'm having a really hard time deciding if I want to head into Experimental Particle Physics oder Experimental Solid State Physics for my PhD. I've had a little practical experience in both fields, and I really...

I'm not sure if anyone knows what I mean by saying my desire is to hypothesis and experiment, and build upon the basis of other theorems. I wonder if majoring in physics with a concentration on astrophysics are the proper choices in relation to my desired career path. I suppose I'm leaning...

Hello, I would like to hear from people who have first hand working experience(have been employed) what are they doing(a typical day in the office) on the following fields: a)Systems Engineering b)Embedded systems Engineer c)Robotics,systems and control d)analogue and/or digital design...

Hi physics forums. I'm a 4th year student in Applied Physics. Originally I had no idea what I wanted to do with my education, or what useful skills I was learning. This year I've got a lab course and a computational physics course that have piqued my interest. I'm really enjoying...

Hi everyone. One of the recurring themes here in the Career Guidance section is how career prospects for physics graduates (or in fact any graduates) depends to a significant extent on when they have entered the labour force (e.g. students who have graduated in 1998 will have very different...

I'm only a sophomore physics major, but I'm beginning to consider what I may want to study in graduate school, and hope to find some REU's that will complement these interests. I'd like to hear from others who are in the broad field of plasma physics. I'm back and forth between geophysics and...

Hello all, I am currently finishing my AA and getting ready to transfer to a better school to pursue an education in either Engineering or Physics. I am pretty torn between the two and would like some advice from people in the field on which would be a better choice for me. I have worked in...

I am wondering, if something finding some free courses online in the areas that I am looking at would help me to decide what I'd like to pursue in college before I get there? Is there some other way of finding out if I'd really even like it?

Dear All, I have read many threads on second careers including the excellent blog by ZapperZ "So you want to be a physicist" and then reaching out to you all for guidance. First, a brief introduction on myself: Industry Experience:  I am a US Citizen based out of the Northern NJ/ NY...

Hello all, I have 2 questions: Can you double major is physics secondary ed and math secondary ed and go to grad school? Is it feasible to expect to do both 4 years? If you major in just math ed and minor in physics, can you go to math grad school? Thanks in advance

Hello everyone, I'm facing a bit of confusion. I am currently in high school, taking a college level Calculus class and a college level Algrebra-Based Physics class. I am not sure whether it's because of the class, or if it's because of the math itself, but i seem to enjoy Calculus much more...

Hello, I recently graduated from University as a Mechanical Engineer. I am currently working at a large oil and gas company as a New Graduate Mechanical Engineer. My roles and responsibilities primarily include Preventive Maintenance and Reliability of pipelines. It is probably one of the...

Hello everyone, Little back story, so when I began college as a freshman I thought I wanted to become a doctor. My sister already being in med school it seemed like a challenging and rewarding career which could ultimately make me a lot of money. However speaking with my physics teacher...

Hi all, First post here. I am a high GPA actuarial science based statistics major at a well known university for act sci. However, I have become disenchanted with the profession lately. I have heard a lot about how the amount of high level thinking required on the job is disappointing to a...

After studying medicine, what would be a good discipline to study that involves maths/physics and also medical science? Neuroscience seems like a fairly good option (neural networks etc). Any advice?

Greetings. Looking for advice and information concerning the job prospects for a person holding a masters degree in applied mathematics - how good are they, and how much more opportunities would a PHD provide? How many graduates overall continue on to receive their phds? How do private...

Hello everyone, I have a question on applying to graduate school to study a different field than one studied for their undergrad degree. Specifically, I am due to graduate from a Boston area school with a combined electrical engineering / physics degree. I have an A/A- average, solid GRE...

Seems like it might be easier to just cut out the middlemen who hold the dollars and do a bunch of math somewhere until there are a few less "unsolved problems in mathematics" on wikipedia. What's stopping scientists from doing this? Much more efficient in terms of physicist-life-hours.

I just started my senior year of high school and am considering engineering. The problem is I haven't taken any chemistry or physics classes but i am good at math and feel like I would enjoy doing engineering along with the hard work included. Also another problem is that my high school only...

Hi, I am seriously considering making a move towards becoming an engineer. I have a History degree from UC Berkeley and a certificate degree in Advanced Character Animation. Money is not and issue and I have all the free time in the world. I am 28 years old and am in excellent physical...

Hi. I'm about to pick my undergraduate degree and I can't decide on the engineering course I want. I was thinking of applying for a BEng in Material Science or Material Engineering but I'm not too sure about the job prospects for a degree in these subjects. Can anyone here tell me if picking...

Hey there, I'm currently about to start a postgraduatde MSc Nuclear Science and Technology course (with most subjects looking in safety, risk assesment, fuel cycles, design and a project in damage simulation) after completing BSc Chemistry and Molecular Physics with engineering experience...

Switching Career to Physics-- Desperately Need Advice I have to make a fairly critical decision in the coming days, and though I have tried to read up as much as possible on the relevant material, I am in desperate need of some guidance. Please, any help at all is extremely appreciated...

Hello, I am a 14 year old about to become a freshmen and I already feel convinced I will become a physicist since I seem to have an good ability in the subject and I absolutely love science. I need some advice on how to start of high school on the right foot. I want to start getting a job...

I post this here since this seems more about psychology profile, and IMO software tools that evaluate the person. The general tools that ask if you’re good in math, analytic skill, etc. really aren’t adequate. I've been going back a forth with my 17 yr old son about college. What do you want to...

where can i work with a engineering physics degree?

I am just throwing this out there to fish for opinions Engineering is often advertised as a broad profession offering many opportunities. With tight labor markets where there is an over supply of job seekers is this no longer a true statement. I ask because workers must be responsive to the...

What sort of job prospects would I have with a BSc in Physics Engineering or Applied Physics? Are the odds good, or is this field an exceptionally competitive one? Can anyone here tell me what I should expect while studying for this degree and what I should prepare? Any help at all would...

Recently, I have been thinking about what I would like to do once I finish my graduate school career. I already know that I like doing research, so I was thinking of either working for a national lab or becoming a professor. Based on some information I've read on the web, becoming a professor...

Hello everyone! Im a senior in high school doing the IB diploma program and i'd appreciate it if you could help guide me in choosing a career since my school doesn't seem to be of any help... Im extremely passionate about Physics (in particular astro and aerospace) and technology. i'd...

Ok if possible I would like to direct this at twofishquant, however if you have any experience please do post. I have seen that he has quite a bit of experience in this area and would really like to hear his opinion. I am going onto second year undergrad from September in Physics, I plan on...

Hey Everyone! I’m new here so I’d appreciate some help Well I’m in a dilemma, I struggled so much to choose a career path and I’m still indecisive but I’m pretty sure that I want to become an engineer specifically civil or environmental, I’d like to contribute in something for my society in...

hi everyone, I have the following situation: Years ago I got a BCom with pretty high grades (correspond to ~3.5 GPA), several years later did Masters in Stats with pretty low results (B- average) at a good school and somehow squeezed into a PhD in CS at an average school. After three...

I currently have a B.S. in mathematics and just got accepted into a Ph. D. program for math. In this program there are 4 different specializations: applied math, statistics, pure math, and computational math. Out of these pure math interests me the most, however, I'm afraid I won't be able to...

I have a background as a automotive technician for over a decade. I would like to move into a career that is less stressful on my body and provides a higher ceiling for pay. I am interested in computers with hobbiest knowledge of the how's and why's they work. I have professional experience in...

I have heard much about how careers in aerospace engineering and astrophysics can be hard to find, one has to move around a lot, and the salary is not great. As far as money goes I don't care too much, but I'd like to make at least 75k a year, but I don't want to have to move around more than 2...

Hello, I'm interested in applying for the Naval Academy. I know they have great undergraduate programs in both engineering and physics, which I'm really interested in. (I'm not sure which one exactly I want to get a degree in yet). Graduates from the Naval Academy are required to spend 5...

Hello everyone, just joined the forum. I need some solid advice about choosing my career path, I've read some of the previous posts on the topic, but would greatly appreciate any further help! I'm 18 years old, at the end of high school. I love and enjoy both Physics and Chemistry, and work...

What kind of career path should i follow if i want a job whihc involves devising new and better ways of using computers and addressing particular challenges in areas such as robotics, physics and other sciences. I will start my undergradute course in CSE this year. After that what will i have...

Hi, I have numerous questions concerning experimental physics.. If you want to be an experimental physicist what can you study? I would like to study particle physics and quantum mechanics.. are they well involved? Also does anyone know if experimental physicists have a good income? what's...

So right now I'm working a job that I dislike. Of course it's only temporary, the goal being to allow my wife to finish school and save up enough money in order to allow me to enter graduate school with a minimum amount of debt. Up until this point I was bound and determined to get a Ph.D in...

I'm currently pursuing my undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Statistics. About me: I'm really passionate about mathematics. I also like physics and chemistry, though to a much lesser extent. I'm also very passionate about learning new things, regardless of the subject. For example, I...

Hi, I am only in grade 1o right know but I've spent almost an entire year learning about what steps to take and what to look ahead for after high school, I am pretty much set for the goals i want to complete in my educational life and how to do them. Theirs just a couple of things, I don't...

I'm really interested in space, I love anything to do with it, I just find the topic amazing. I know I want a career in space, I just can't settle on the right one for me. Right now I'm in Year 9, next year for my subjects I'll probably pick Physics, Math, chemistry, and any other subject that...

Hi, everyone. I haven't posted on this site for some time...at least seven months or so. I want to "re-kindle" my discussion that I started here: My Previous Thread The meat and potatoes of the story is that I excelled in Undergraduate School and obtained a B.S. in Mathematics with a minor...

I'm still in lower division so I know this is jumping the gun, but I wanted to ask this now while I still have time to ponder. Originally my end goal was to get a Ph.D because I want to do research ideally in astrophysics, although I'm well aware that jobs in this field are few and far...

Hi everyone. I know there are some medical dosimetrists and physicists in this forum who have provided useful advice. I still have some questions, if you don't mind. Basically, my background consists of a B.S. and M.Sc in physics with not so stellar grades (~3.0 GPA). I graduated almost 7...

I just finished my undergrad in Chem Eng and am very interested in energy field ( I was thinking of doing something with battery and storage systems as it is closest to my field). I was recently offered a masters in MSE for possibly working on battery materials using Density Functional Theory...

Hello Again. I am new to the forum and this is actually the 2nd time I've asked a question. I wanted to get some insight into what Physics Majors that minor in math have the possibility of doing in the carrer world. I should note that I am in college pursuing my undergraduate degree in these...

I'm in my junior year of college of a major in physics, and I'm already considering my job oportunities. In a country like mine (i live in Colombia, by the way) is kind of hard to get a job as a researcher if you don't want to be a professor (my case) and the global landscape doesn't seem very...