No Career with Physics: Is it True?

[Locrian]

No, I'm using that definition subjectively for this thread alone.

Let's all make up definitions for the words we use, just for this thread!

Awesome.

 

[kodiakghost]

Let's all make up definitions for the words we use, just for this thread!

Awesome.

OK, I define "Awesome" to mean "Your Miniature Dachshund just crapped on my new carpet". From now on when anyone uses the word "Awesome", just think of little crapping hot dog dogs. But should me make our definitions case sensitive? We could have a completely different definition of "awesome" if we wanted.

 

[TMFKAN64]

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.'

'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.'

 

[WarPhalange]

That is VERY true, and that's why when there's such a serious misconception going on in this forum, I feel obliged to correct it. People somehow think that "physics" means high energy, nuclear, string, astrophysics, etc. It isn't, especially when the LARGEST part of the physics community works in an area that have direct impact on our lives. To lump everything else to be "physics" without including condensed matter/material science is like using Hawaii and Alaska as the representative of the US and ignoring the rest of the contiguous states that make up the largest part of the US!

Zz.

When I decided to go into physics, what swayed me was cosmology, astrophysics, and quantum physics. Nevermind that I didn't know what quantum physics was, I knew it would be cool, so I wanted to do it.

Now that I'm a senior applying to graduate school, I'm looking for schools that do condensed matter, optics, low-temperature stuff and maybe stuff like medical physics or quantum computing. I realized how vast physics really is and realized I would prefer a different part of it than the parts that get most attention like black holes or CERN or what have you.

So, at the start of the year I of course met new physics majors, some of them freshmen. Why did they get into physics? String theory, Quantum, etc. And so the cycle goes, of people wandering into the major in hopes of it being like a sci-fi movie and realizing it's actually pretty mundane. After two quarters of QM, I no longer think of it as "ooooh teleportation!", I think of it as "So the electron drops down by a discrete energy to a lower level, and that's how light is emitted? Holy crap! That's awesome!" Basically, I was lucky enough that when I realized what physics really is, I still liked it and want to do it for a living.

But I can't imagine how many people go into it like myself, thinking we would learn magic or something and then realizing it's not really that "cool".

 

[mbisCool]

When I decided to go into physics, what swayed me was cosmology, astrophysics, and quantum physics. Nevermind that I didn't know what quantum physics was, I knew it would be cool, so I wanted to do it.

Now that I'm a senior applying to graduate school, I'm looking for schools that do condensed matter, optics, low-temperature stuff and maybe stuff like medical physics or quantum computing. I realized how vast physics really is and realized I would prefer a different part of it than the parts that get most attention like black holes or CERN or what have you.

So, at the start of the year I of course met new physics majors, some of them freshmen. Why did they get into physics? String theory, Quantum, etc. And so the cycle goes, of people wandering into the major in hopes of it being like a sci-fi movie and realizing it's actually pretty mundane. After two quarters of QM, I no longer think of it as "ooooh teleportation!", I think of it as "So the electron drops down by a discrete energy to a lower level, and that's how light is emitted? Holy crap! That's awesome!" Basically, I was lucky enough that when I realized what physics really is, I still liked it and want to do it for a living.

But I can't imagine how many people go into it like myself, thinking we would learn magic or something and then realizing it's not really that "cool".

I would suggest researching a potential major a little more than this

 

[giann_tee]

When I decided to go into physics, what swayed me was cosmology, astrophysics, and quantum physics. Nevermind that I didn't know what quantum physics was, I knew it would be cool, so I wanted to do it.

Now that I'm a senior applying to graduate school, I'm looking for schools that do condensed matter, optics, low-temperature stuff and maybe stuff like medical physics or quantum computing. I realized how vast physics really is and realized I would prefer a different part of it than the parts that get most attention like black holes or CERN or what have you.

So, at the start of the year I of course met new physics majors, some of them freshmen. Why did they get into physics? String theory, Quantum, etc. And so the cycle goes, of people wandering into the major in hopes of it being like a sci-fi movie and realizing it's actually pretty mundane. After two quarters of QM, I no longer think of it as "ooooh teleportation!", I think of it as "So the electron drops down by a discrete energy to a lower level, and that's how light is emitted? Holy crap! That's awesome!" Basically, I was lucky enough that when I realized what physics really is, I still liked it and want to do it for a living.

But I can't imagine how many people go into it like myself, thinking we would learn magic or something and then realizing it's not really that "cool".

Last night I watched this new episode of South Park online and the kids (Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny) were stunned by the fact they were supposed to participate in the School Musical 3 when they didn't even know about School Musical 2 or 1. They were worried that they would turn out so uncool and unpopular.

There is one kind of transition, an energetic level near the first hydrogen level that first I heard in a sentence like... "and this theory explains even the transition..." when it was already TOO late. That makes me sweat.

When it comes to those topics I don't like, an example is the defensive behavior of some teachers about which topic is allowed to be expanded lightly and which one is stuck in the rigorous process of examination. I wish there is more time to experience matters through reading long texts, maybe with more historical and more experimental emphasis.

Your post is chaotic unfortunately. Everyone DOES think physics is excellent and it IS magic. Check out what polls say: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/38601/title/College_Its_What_We_Make_It

 

[WarPhalange]

Everyone DOES think physics is excellent and it IS magic. Check out what polls say: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/38601/title/College_Its_What_We_Make_It

That was my point. People expect magic from physics and may become disappointed when they aren't learning about alternate universes and time travel, but how a refrigerator works and why the sun is yellow.