The Should I Become a Physicist? Thread

cristo

Yes.

withthemotive

They're only well known and respected schools. It doesn't mean you aren't any less smarter if you didn't attend MIT.

fluidistic

Great text, I've learned a lot by it. Thank you very much Zz.

glueball8

Thanks!! Now I have a clue what univsersity will be like!

ZapperZ

The Career section of last week's Science online edition had a very extensive resources for undergraduate summer internships available throughout the "world". So if you are thinking about participating in such a program, this might be something you want to look at, even if it is more than a year away. Many of these programs require quite an early application. So start thinking now.

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org...redit.a0800181

Zz.

jbunten

Hi the last one finishes:

In the next installment, we'll go over the daily grind of doing graduate research work.

But I can't seem to find where the next instalment is! Could someone please direct me to it as I find these articles very illuminating.

ZapperZ

Did you read the one contiguous article that I linked to at the beginning of the thread in Message #4?

Zz.

jbunten

ah, there we are! many thanks

Hunterbender

I am currently a high school senior looking into a dual physics-econ (maybe law?) major.

When I read the physics researches on arxiv and other collections, it never fails to amazed me the complexity of the problem and its solution. In additional, physics (or the non-traditional physics) had became really abstract and obscure (notably with the quantum loop gravity, superstring theory, etc) over the years. It appears to me that one needs to be exceptionally bright* in order to become a physicist (in the sense of doing research and securing fund). Is that so?

*bright in the sense that one needs to be flexible of the mind.

Thank you for the time! (and for a great guide)

ZapperZ

Please do not think of physics as being predominantly "superstring or loop quantum gravity". In fact, this area of study covers only a very small portion of the whole physics discipline. I would say they are barely 10% of the number of practicing physicists, even though they often get disproportionate amount of publicity.

There is also a tremendous difference between doing theoretical work and experimental work. This isn't to say that experimental work requires less mathematics or less theoretical understanding, but there are many who do not care that much about doing theoretical work that do very good work in experimental physics. In my line of work, I often find myself doing more engineering work than doing physics, and even less, doing purely theoretical work. There are many find physicists who are brilliant at designing some of the most sophisticated experiment to test some of the most difficult aspects of physics. This is also a BIG part of physics that many people outside of the subject do not realize.

So physics isn't just what you often encounter in the public media or the one that gets the most publicity. You'll get to see more of it as you learn more about it, and if you have the opportunity, visit a few places that do physics research work.

Zz.

atyy

Are there differences between experimentalists in eg. high energy physics and condensed matter or atomic physics? I recently read Martin Perl's comment about needing "sharp elbows". http://prl.aps.org/edannounce/PhysRevLett.100.070001. William Phillips essay left me with a completely different impression "that one can do physics at the frontiers, competing with the best in the world, and do it with openness, humanity and cooperation". http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/p...s-autobio.html. Or is it just the variability of human nature?

Hunterbender

Thank you for responding my question in such a timely manner.

I guess there are a lot more to physics that I have yet to learn. Hopefully as I continue onward with the study of physics, all these would come to me (and I shall become enlightened and ascend to..ok..moving on)

With regard to visiting places that do research work, do I just set up an appointment? I have never heard of visiting research areas (or considered it). So, do I simply find a research facility nearby and call them up for a visit?

Once again, thank you.

jbunten

I'd just like to add that although sometimes physics can seem extremely difficult, this is often because you need to understand the more basic foundations, and then it becomes a lot more clear. This is not to say it *isn't* difficult of course, but remember that when you were four years old maths which you now find trivial seemed very complex!

ephedyn

I think you need to add another negative because you ended up implying the exact opposite of what you meant.

ZapperZ

We always get a bunch of very similar questions about physics academics and careers in this forum all the time. "Where should I go to school?", "How much can I make after I graduate?", "What kind of a job can I get with my physics degree?".

It would be helpful if there's a legitimate and well-researched place where one can go and look for answers to all these common questions. And there is! The American Institute of Physics (AIP) has a page that is meant as a "Career Guidance for High School and Undergraduate Students". The answers to many often-asked questions are based on what I believe is the most comprehensive survey of physics students and graduates in the US. It addresses all the questions above and more, and based the answers on the statistics that it has collected.

The best part of this also is that they will continue to collect and publish such statistics every few years, so the information will be updated.

Zz.

Electron17

What sorts of things would you recommend a person to do when he or she is in high school?

ZapperZ

Stay in school and don't do drugs!

:)

Well, I did describe, albeit rather briefly, some high school preparations in Chap. 1 of the essay. Is there anything in particular beyond that that you wish to know?

Zz.