http://www.physicsforums.com Discuss topics on science professions and career paths. en Wed, 22 May 2013 14:56:14 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.physicsforums.com/images/physicsforums/misc/rss.jpg http://www.physicsforums.com http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692877&goto=newpost Tue, 21 May 2013 11:33:25 GMT Hi, Iam currently 18 years old. I've always craved knowledge, and as a 12 year old I discovered physics in the light that I see it today. Iam taking courses in math and physics because I really want to work as a scientist.
But Iam not sure if that's what I want in the end, Iam really interested in genetic biology too.
So, my question is: How do you feel about your career choice and why? ]]> Career Guidance J.E http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692877 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692855&goto=newpost Tue, 21 May 2013 07:16:04 GMT hi guys, i'm a student pursuing BE mechanical in INDIA. I'm really confused where i should apply for my MS. MechE in USA. Kindly have a look at my profile and please suggest some nice options.

1. BE scores - 75% (i know its low, but the general scoring scheme of the university is very strict. inspite of this, i'm ranking 1st in my branch in college.)

2. GRE - 325/340

3. Extra curriculars - Secretary of MESA, class representative, attended many inter college competitions, attended state level project competition, presented a paper in a national level conference. Learning indian classical music since the age of 8.(for the last 12 years). took training and attempted the IIT Entrance. An avid painter, and photographer(hobbies). Also represented the country in an intl. peace conference (in 9th grade). love reading (novels, science, etc.) Love Technology! (P.S. i have a pending patent.)

*Another thing i'd like to bring up, is that i've done my elementary schooling in NJ and Quincy, MA. (KG to Grade 5) and in MA, i was selected in ELC, which was a program for the best students in grade 5, from all the local public schools. i'had done a research project on black holes at the time. Its not very relevant but, i feel it shows that i have the experience from two totally different studying methodologies and have done pretty well in both.!

can i apply to the top schools like MIT? am i eligible and do have a chance?

Thanks alot.. ]]> Career Guidance naikaj http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692855 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692839&goto=newpost Tue, 21 May 2013 04:37:46 GMT I want to create a company that makes carpet cleaning solutions and shampoos. I am currently a second year civil engineering student, strongly... I want to create a company that makes carpet cleaning solutions and shampoos. I am currently a second year civil engineering student, strongly considering switching to chemical engineering in pursuit of my dream. I want to know if I need the chemical engineering training to go after such a endeavor? Or can i continue with my civil, and pick up the knowledge to create such chemical solutions?
Where do i start? ]]> Career Guidance Klutch1 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692839 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692697&goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 14:01:16 GMT Hello, I've been wondering about the "branches" of physics. Can anyone please tell a bit about each of the following: particle physics, nuclear physics, atomic physics...etc And maybe a bit about quantum mechanics?

Thank you :) ]]> Career Guidance BH Wiz http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692697 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692664&goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 10:50:58 GMT I am an oversees student ,who hold MSc in structural engineering from Nottingham university, basically i want to work in London, actually i start to... I am an oversees student ,who hold MSc in structural engineering from Nottingham university, basically i want to work in London, actually i start to apply late a little bit( a month ago),and i have to find job before October with visa permission to stay in UK.

In the previous month i applied to tons of jobs and i didn't get an interview!!

I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION
1. I am first in class
2.My skills in the Cv are really good(I believe)

But perhaps ,since i am oversees ,my opportunity i less


So is there any advice please ]]> Career Guidance Sadeq http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692664 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692373&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 16:38:14 GMT Heya. Recently, I was hired at a local software firm and have been working there for the past week and a half or so. My co-workers seem like... Heya.

Recently, I was hired at a local software firm and have been working there for the past week and a half or so. My co-workers seem like really cool people to work with, and the work environment is actually great.

Right now I'm just an intern, but I want to actually keep this job. There's no way I would want to ever go back to working retail ( Or worse ) as to gain income. Selling an hour of my life for $11 at a time is simply out of the question. So I've been working really hard as to earn a good impression with everybody around me.

So now I arrive at a dilemma a couple of months from now... School is back in and suddenly the percentiles of my ##\pi## of life get skewed.

My question now; What is more important : Work experience or Education.

I'm having a tough time deciding what gets a bigger piece. I really want to keep this job, but I'm not sure I could manage full time studies and the job at the same time. I'd like to get some opinions from people before I decide what to do. ]]> Career Guidance Zondrina http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692373 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692372&goto=newpost Sat, 18 May 2013 16:37:39 GMT What university is best for civil Engineering? Carleton university or university of Ottawa? I have also been accepted to Co-op at both universities.... What university is best for civil Engineering? Carleton university or university of Ottawa?
I have also been accepted to Co-op at both universities. So which one has a better Co-op program? ]]> Career Guidance thili1111 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692372 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692270&goto=newpost Fri, 17 May 2013 22:07:59 GMT Hello,
I posted awhile back about not being able to find a job, I'm still in that same boat.

Background: I graduated 6 months ago with a Chemical Engineering degree. Good 3.4 GPA, Ive done 2 internships, very sociable, outgoing, blah blah blah...

Im havin a heck of a time finding work. Ive applied to millions of online apps, Ive tried networking with previous and new contacts and attending career events. Im not really getting anywhere though.

Ive decided to start pursuing low paying grunt work within my target industries to get a foot in the door. I was checking out my state government's online job board and there's currently tons of temporary lab, technician, and grunt jobs posted in the industries I'm interested in. However, every posting says, in order to apply I need to visit an office of this local temp agency. In addition, I was actually recently contacted randomly by a another agency and asked if I was interested in a temporary lab job with a pharmacy company.

I've always felt kind of wary of employment agencies. Should I try it out? Could anyone who has used one share their experiences? Can they actually find you work quickly as they promise? I already know to stay away from any that charge fees upfront, but is there any other catch I should be aware of?

Thanks for any insights. ]]> Career Guidance StarSoup http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692270 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692114&goto=newpost Thu, 16 May 2013 22:05:14 GMT Hello folks. I am a European student applying to MIT, Harvard, Princeton and Cambridge in the UK this fall. I have a strong passion for... Hello folks.

I am a European student applying to MIT, Harvard, Princeton and Cambridge in the UK this fall. I have a strong passion for mathematics, I have self-studied for past two years, I went through 20 textbooks – 4 pure, 5 mechanics, 5 statistics, 3 further pure and 3 decision maths. I am also taking intensive private maths classes for past 1 year, taught by a PhD in applied mathematics - we plan to go through some linear algebra this summer and I also took Harvard’s programming course – CS50x. (it really helped my maths "vision".)

I have seen college maths, I am actually preparing for Cambridge STEP – which is based on high school curriculum but questions are much more demanding and tough. (http://www.mathshelper.co.uk/STEP%20III%202007.pdf) In case I would get an offer, I would be asked to achieve grade 1 (second best - 4 problems solved completely) in all three papers.

With that being said, I am unsure about my career options after graduation. So far, a quant analyst caught my attention – lots of maths involved, PhD required, competitive salary. Though I am afraid that you can’t really progress in your career as a quant. You get to become a quant, maybe you get promoted to some leading quant, but that’s it I guess. I like the fact that PhD is required because it seems like quite an achievement to achieve it, especially from a top-tier institution, I would be proud of myself.

I am also considering a MBA. The problem with MBA is that you don’t necessary work with maths. Sure, some basic statistics, addition, subtraction, median, mod, but I doubt that there are some math-oriented jobs for MBAs. Also, it costs quite a lot of money. But in return, an average 20 year salary of HBS graduate is 3.6 million, go figure…

So what I am thinking about is both PhD and MBA. I’ve heard it’s quite common in STEM fields, you don’t necessary end up on the same position for the rest of your life, you end up knowing some really cool maths and you are basically a rocket scientist that’s capable to do some managing jobs.

I understand that I shouldn’t even think about this stuff as I am not on even on college yet, but I doubt that my interests will move to other area than mathematics and CS. I know a guy who is a HBS graduate and he told me that having a vision of future career is always a good thing, so I would like to know what options do I have.

Thank you very much for your advices.  ]]> Career Guidance doncorleone http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692114 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691956&goto=newpost Thu, 16 May 2013 01:14:26 GMT Hey everyone!
I'm currently undecided on whether I should study Economics or Geophysics. The main reason I'm undecided is because I don't have much of a clue what kinds of careers are open for Geophysicitst. After taking a course in General Geology this semester, I found topics such as Plate Tectonics, Volcanism and Mineralogy pretty interesting. However, my greatest fear is that if I decide to major in Geophysics, I'll only be able to get a career in that field if I have a PhD, which will obviously take plenty of time and money to accomplish. Is the part about me needing a PhD true? ]]> Career Guidance Bogrune http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691956 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691880&goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 15:58:05 GMT To my delight I was just called in for an interview for a summer position at a big research institute in the UK, as a graduating physics senior... To my delight I was just called in for an interview for a summer position at a big research institute in the UK, as a graduating physics senior (advertised for undergrads). It's been a while since I last had a job interview and I've never had one at the professional/academic level, I would like some advice on this matter. I suppose a button shirt (and pants) is sufficiently presentable for a male?

The job ad stated a "working knowledge" with a high level language like C or Fortran was desired, job is data analysis of a physical model's output and prepare it for comparison with satellite data for verification. I've done some fortran programming for a senior project (MC simulations), experienced with general numerical methods, what kind of technical questions should I expect, if any?

Any UK-specific etiquette advice for interviews would be helpful too.

Thanks in advance. ]]> Career Guidance Lavabug http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691880 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691863&goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 14:29:33 GMT I had a conversation with a friend yesterday(he's writing his diploma thesis in Comp. Engineering at the moment), about which program(if that's the right word) I should choose but he didn't know the Comp. Sci. syllabus so he suggested me to ask here.

I'm sure this question has been asked here, but the Comp. Eng. syllabus varies in different places. I've a friend in Budapest that's studying Comp. Eng. and his syllabus is different from the Comp. Eng. syllabus here.

I've 3 months to decide what I'll choose for undergraduate but I want to take it out of the way so I can start getting ready.

http://www.finki.ukim.mk/en/studies/KNI - The Comp. Sci syllabus. I attended the preliminary speech by the dean and he said that this is the core of IT. It has no physics or electrical engineering.

http://www.finki.ukim.mk/en/studies/IKI - The Comp. Eng. syllabus. The Dean said that this has roots from electrical engineering and IT. Too bad I couldn't have a chat with him...

The university is 180km far from home and the ride is 5h in one direction so I can't go every time I decide to change my mind.

The first two semesters don't matter, I'm more interested in the specialization subjects that come after. I read that computers will no longer play a passive role in our everyday lives as an input tool, intelligent systems are the future of information technology. Also, the invention of wireless electricity will be very big in the future, but that's just a random thought by me.

There are also profiles that I can choose, profiles that have the elective subjects chosen for you. For example:
Software Engineering - http://www.finki.ukim.mk/mk/studies/profil-si
Hardware Engineering and system in a chip - http://www.finki.ukim.mk/mk/studies/profil-hisc
Parallel Processing - http://www.finki.ukim.mk/mk/studies/profil-pp
Intelligent Systems and Robotics - http://www.finki.ukim.mk/mk/studies/profil-isr
Information Systems - http://www.finki.ukim.mk/mk/studies/profil-is

Too bad I can't find an English translation.

So what do you think about the syllabuses and the profiles(if you can translate them in English, I think there's an add-on in chrome that does that) ? What do you think the future holds? Every reply, suggestion, advice and whatnot would be very much appreciated.

Thanks :) ]]> Career Guidance gunslinger http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691863 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691833&goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 10:05:48 GMT hi, i would like to go into mechanical engineer, im 14 and have estimated gcse results to be , a* in mathamatics, a* in physics and a c in english (... hi, i would like to go into mechanical engineer, im 14 and have estimated gcse results to be , a* in mathamatics, a* in physics and a c in english ( although im trying to work to get that upto a b). so after i finnish school i want to go to collage and do a-levels in physics mathamatics and i.t, then i want to do my lvl 1,2 and 3 in enginnering. with thoese qualifications, what jobs are avalible to me. also while doing the lvl 3 im going to try and get an aprentiship. ]]> Career Guidance jaguar-wm http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691833 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691559&goto=newpost Mon, 13 May 2013 20:38:07 GMT I'm currently studying a BEng (Mechanical) and was wondering about dual major options at my university. The two other majors that I'm looking at are Mechanical and Aerospace, and Mechatronic. I'm also considering doing a Masters of in either Electrical Engineering, Electricity Market or Systems Engineering.

I'm doing well and enjoy the mathematical and CAD parts of the degree but I'm not as strong at materials. For work, I don't care about the money as long as I'm getting challenged intellectually and I'm interested in the work that I'm doing. I'm interested in the car industry, gas and oil, aeronautical (e.g. scramjets), aerospace (e.g. Space-X), robotics or defence contractors.

Thanks in advance for any advice. ]]> Career Guidance cambo86 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691559 http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691466&goto=newpost Mon, 13 May 2013 07:13:10 GMT What kind of resources does a university provide that are so important to a theoretical physicist? I pose this as a serious question. I know not all... What kind of resources does a university provide that are so important to a theoretical physicist? I pose this as a serious question. I know not all fields of theoretical physics are the same, but lets just take string theory for example. It seems to me that string theory at the moment is purely mathematical work. Which means all you really need is pen and paper, and maybe a laptop. So after someone obtains a PhD and all the knowledge that comes with it, what is the advantage of gaining a professorship at a university when you can do all that work from home? (other than collaboration with other scientists... and getting paid). I mean you wouldn't need to perform any experiments and you could submit your papers to scientific journals whenever you please, right? ]]> Career Guidance lundyjb http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691466