- #1
MWatson04
- 4
- 1
I am 18 and currently in the middle of taking a gap year from high school to college. I am going to college this fall, and I want to go into college with a better grip on what I want to do than I have now. I absolutely love physics, science, and math. I also have a huge attachment to the idea of going into computer science and studying A.I.
My reason for choosing computer science is one, I love programming, and two, I believe the development of A.G.I. will be the most impactful development during my life (again I'm 18), and I find this field to be extremely intriguing. I also watch videos on YouTube from people like Two Minute Papers, and I feel amazed with what is being presented (for example his most popular video on the OpenAI A.I. learning to play hide and seek is truly mind boggling). The things is these videos are about the aftermath of research and development of the A.I., but would doing research and development for something like this actually be compelling and worth pursuing as a career? As in, is it worth it for someone like me who loves math and long equations, theorizing on topics but also actually working with them hands on, loves working with computers, but also in a "lab" environment where you do heavy research and build stuff like different hardware/software?
Now on the other side for physics, I have a huge passion for wanting to learn more about the universe, and like I said, I love math and solving equations that take up 10 pieces of paper alone. Btw I feel I should make it known my end goal of this career choice would be to become an astrophysicist. As for this particular job, would I spend my time with these complex equations and heavy data that I have to analyze? Or will I just spend my days looking at objects in space and solving for seemingly tedious things like the orbit of that object or something like that? I feel I should point out that my passion for physics also comes from watching YouTube videos about different theories which I feel might not be showing me the entire work of a physicist and is just showing me the "glory" of it. Studying physics is concerning for me because I don't even know if I'm enjoying the idea of the work of a physicist (Research and solving unanswered questions), or if I'm more interested in being something like an engineer who will (depending on your actual work in your field) design and build extraordinary technology that they know they can, and should do, from the work of physicists.
In the end I feel as if the generation I'm growing up in is on the edge of creation and development of things that are close to the crazy sci-fi technology people read about and see in movies. Like for example (not saying this is currently happening, just an example), if people were to come to the conclusion that we can create a full on Iron Man suit, I would assume that the physicists are the ones who do the research to see what is physically possible and see what sort of design is needed to make this possible, then the engineers would build it and bring the technology from an idea to a physical reality. As someone who loves the math and the idea of "lab" work, I also feel I enjoy even more the hands on work and physical development that comes after.
So after telling what I hope is mostly needed and useful stuff, and based off the kind of person I am (I hope I described myself well enough) would you suggest I choose physics, computer science, or maybe even engineering? (Note: For engineering I know I would want to be something like an electrical, mechanical, computer, or aerospace engineer as I feel these are the eningeers who would work on something like an Iron Man suit if we found we could do it or any other "futuristic" tech like advanced spacecraft /spacesuits, robotics, holographic tech, etc. that is to come in the future).
My reason for choosing computer science is one, I love programming, and two, I believe the development of A.G.I. will be the most impactful development during my life (again I'm 18), and I find this field to be extremely intriguing. I also watch videos on YouTube from people like Two Minute Papers, and I feel amazed with what is being presented (for example his most popular video on the OpenAI A.I. learning to play hide and seek is truly mind boggling). The things is these videos are about the aftermath of research and development of the A.I., but would doing research and development for something like this actually be compelling and worth pursuing as a career? As in, is it worth it for someone like me who loves math and long equations, theorizing on topics but also actually working with them hands on, loves working with computers, but also in a "lab" environment where you do heavy research and build stuff like different hardware/software?
Now on the other side for physics, I have a huge passion for wanting to learn more about the universe, and like I said, I love math and solving equations that take up 10 pieces of paper alone. Btw I feel I should make it known my end goal of this career choice would be to become an astrophysicist. As for this particular job, would I spend my time with these complex equations and heavy data that I have to analyze? Or will I just spend my days looking at objects in space and solving for seemingly tedious things like the orbit of that object or something like that? I feel I should point out that my passion for physics also comes from watching YouTube videos about different theories which I feel might not be showing me the entire work of a physicist and is just showing me the "glory" of it. Studying physics is concerning for me because I don't even know if I'm enjoying the idea of the work of a physicist (Research and solving unanswered questions), or if I'm more interested in being something like an engineer who will (depending on your actual work in your field) design and build extraordinary technology that they know they can, and should do, from the work of physicists.
In the end I feel as if the generation I'm growing up in is on the edge of creation and development of things that are close to the crazy sci-fi technology people read about and see in movies. Like for example (not saying this is currently happening, just an example), if people were to come to the conclusion that we can create a full on Iron Man suit, I would assume that the physicists are the ones who do the research to see what is physically possible and see what sort of design is needed to make this possible, then the engineers would build it and bring the technology from an idea to a physical reality. As someone who loves the math and the idea of "lab" work, I also feel I enjoy even more the hands on work and physical development that comes after.
So after telling what I hope is mostly needed and useful stuff, and based off the kind of person I am (I hope I described myself well enough) would you suggest I choose physics, computer science, or maybe even engineering? (Note: For engineering I know I would want to be something like an electrical, mechanical, computer, or aerospace engineer as I feel these are the eningeers who would work on something like an Iron Man suit if we found we could do it or any other "futuristic" tech like advanced spacecraft /spacesuits, robotics, holographic tech, etc. that is to come in the future).
