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jml53
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I was an undergrad at Cornell studying EE in '86. I was frustrated that I wasn't building anything, just doing lots of math which I enjoy, but it wasn't what I expected. I realized that the classes I was really enjoying were my physics classes, so I changed majors to the applied and engineering physics (AEP) program.
Some would say I should have thought about it longer. AEP was considered one of the two toughest majors at Cornell at the time. Biochem was the other. Also, my two best friends were physics majors (arts and sciences version, not AEP) and around the same time, they both choose to change majors to econ, because physics was proving too hard. I was too confident and missed these warning signs and pressed on.
It was the best worst decision of my life. I'd been struggling a bit in EE and got crushed by AEP, but I still loved it. Stubbornness, persistence, and a few generous professors (Dr Persis Drell among others) and I graduated with my AEP degree a couple years later. I also worked at the National Nanofabrication Facility and even co-authored a paper in SPIE. My GPA wasn't anything to write home about, but I survived. It really didn't matter much because I was in AFROTC and had a four year commitment in the Air Force.
The AF put me in as an ops research analyst (likely because I'd taken an OR 101 elective). It was ok, but I crossed into doing flight test, which was a blast. I made one more switch, into intelligence, a couple years after that and stayed with that for what became a 21 year career.
I loved the AF, but still always have had a passion for physics. I've consumed all the popular science and science history texts I could find... Gotta love Kindle and audible and YouTube ... and lean into more advanced ones when I can find them. It's amazing how much more I can appreciate the things I didn't keep up with as an undergrad, now that I have all this context.
I retired from the AF about 10 years ago, and, ironically, have been doing ops research again as a defense consultant for DARPA, DoD, and the Services.
Through all these years my physics degree has served me very well, giving me an ability to dive into all sorts of technical areas that my peers couldn't access.
One of these days, I'd love to return to my roots. One dream would be to work for NASA or the manned space industry. The other would be to go back to school for another physics degree, masters or PhD. I'm pushing my personal studies back into the more mathematical and quantitative, to ensure the door is unlocked if I choose to open it.
Some would say I should have thought about it longer. AEP was considered one of the two toughest majors at Cornell at the time. Biochem was the other. Also, my two best friends were physics majors (arts and sciences version, not AEP) and around the same time, they both choose to change majors to econ, because physics was proving too hard. I was too confident and missed these warning signs and pressed on.
It was the best worst decision of my life. I'd been struggling a bit in EE and got crushed by AEP, but I still loved it. Stubbornness, persistence, and a few generous professors (Dr Persis Drell among others) and I graduated with my AEP degree a couple years later. I also worked at the National Nanofabrication Facility and even co-authored a paper in SPIE. My GPA wasn't anything to write home about, but I survived. It really didn't matter much because I was in AFROTC and had a four year commitment in the Air Force.
The AF put me in as an ops research analyst (likely because I'd taken an OR 101 elective). It was ok, but I crossed into doing flight test, which was a blast. I made one more switch, into intelligence, a couple years after that and stayed with that for what became a 21 year career.
I loved the AF, but still always have had a passion for physics. I've consumed all the popular science and science history texts I could find... Gotta love Kindle and audible and YouTube ... and lean into more advanced ones when I can find them. It's amazing how much more I can appreciate the things I didn't keep up with as an undergrad, now that I have all this context.
I retired from the AF about 10 years ago, and, ironically, have been doing ops research again as a defense consultant for DARPA, DoD, and the Services.
Through all these years my physics degree has served me very well, giving me an ability to dive into all sorts of technical areas that my peers couldn't access.
One of these days, I'd love to return to my roots. One dream would be to work for NASA or the manned space industry. The other would be to go back to school for another physics degree, masters or PhD. I'm pushing my personal studies back into the more mathematical and quantitative, to ensure the door is unlocked if I choose to open it.
