How Can I Transition from Software Engineering to a Physics PhD?

[Sridhar Mahadevan]

Help Needed in changing career from being a Software Engineer to Physicist

Hi Everybody,

I did a bachelors in engineering (Electrical and Electronics) and Masters (Msc) in Physics. Both I did in India in BITS Pilani. After I did my masters in India, I have been in software industry for the past 8 years and have worked in US,India and other countries too. I am presently in USA.

I want to now shift back to physics. I have lost touch with physics in all these years that I have immersed myself in software.

For the past three months, I have been reading physics in a full fedged manner.

1. Started with Resnick and Halliday
2. Solving Irodov problems
3. Revised Calculus (Arthur b Simon) till the stokes/gauss/greens theorem
4. Differential equations (simmons) - till power series solutions, Have started with calclus of variation isopermetric problems.
5. Started reading complex analysis - snaff and snider.
6. Finished few chapters of goldstien, sakurai and reif for classmech, qmech and statmech.

Also I have downloaded Latex, Mathematica and now know to work with these packages.

I am planning to write AGRE in this october and also some entrance examinations for physics schools (IISC and TIFR) in India this year.

What else should I be doing to get myself into physics and do a PHD and further research? I am contemplating on where I should do my PHD. India or USA? How long does it take to do a PHD in USA?

Also suppose if I wanted to present a paper, without a university backing as I am kind of independent now, how do I do it? I am in Hartford,CT, is there anyway I can kind of informally attend classes and work with a prof doing some research...

I am kind of confused... any advise would be extremely welcome... please advise..

thanks
Sridhar Mahadevan

 

[Sridhar Mahadevan]

Any suggestions are welcome!

 

[so-crates]

How long does it take to do a PHD in USA?

If you already have a masters, it generally takes an extra 4-6 years for the experimental sciences.

Also suppose if I wanted to present a paper, without a university backing as I am kind of independent now, how do I do it? I am in Hartford,CT, is there anyway I can kind of informally attend classes and work with a prof doing some research...

Contact some of the professors at a local university (is UConn in Hartford?) and see if they are interested. Unfortunately physics profs at smaller universities tend not to do a lot of hard core 'research' as physics research requires some major money and facilities nowadays. At least that is my impression. As for publication, I would just try submitting to some of the smaller journals - I'm not really familiar with this field so hopefully someone else will give better recommendations.

I mean the worst anyone can do is tell you no, right?

 

[ramollari]

From software engineer to physicist? That's a good intention, but I believe one would find it easier to turn into a business manager from a software engineer than into a physicist. I mean that software engineering has so little in common with scientific principles, and particularly with physics. But if you knew physics prior to becoming a SE, you are doing a good move now!

 

[AypaPhysics]

Hi Sridhar,
I am a B.E. [Electronics and Communications] graduate. i am a software engineer for 2 years. i am interested in moving onto physics field. Where did u do M.sc physics? Will they accept for Msc. physics after a B.E. degree?

i am happy that u were also in the same dialemma few years before. i would like to contact you in person. Please mail me to ipan.cts@indiatimes.com

 

[mechas]

I would like to ask the same question. I have done B.Tech in Electrical Electronics and am working as a software engineer. How do I move into physics field, especially in astrophysics, which I have always been interested in. Please do tell me what you think about how I can move into that field, job prospects in it and my chances there given my background...!
Thanks.

 

[babanwagh]

Hi,

That's sounds good. Well, my story is same kind. I am BE (Chemical Engg), M Tech( Chem Engg) IITB. and then worked for IBM for 21/2 years. Then physics changed me completely and I wanted to do physics also. So I too GATE physics 2009. and now at IISc physics department. But my main interests are high energy physics.

So shridhar if you want to do physics, that's a great idea. But one must consider what research one wants to do. Just anything is fine with physics, or some specific interests.
and you have to also plan out other things.

regards,
Baban wagh.
+919535144483.
babanwagh@gmail.com