16-Year-Old Looking for Math/Physics Job

[benk99nenm312]

Hey Kid,
I'd encourage you to be optimistic. I had a high school student working for me for several months - and the only reason why he's not getting more of my money is because he had to prepare for exams. I'd encourage you to check:

odesk.com (set a really LOW hourly rate - like say $4 - initially; then, once you get a track record, you can charge more)

rentacoder.com

getafreelancer.com

If you can write well, try the buy/sell/trade section at wickedfire.com. You'll have to give free samples of your work but after a while - if you are good - you can build up a lucrative client base. As an example, I had a 19 year old Romanian kid doing work for me for a while. His impetus for working was that he needed to earn money to pay for his mother's operation in Vienna. Now the guy's making close to 5 figures per month. When I first hired him, he was writing for about $.02/word. As you can imagine, $10,000+ for a Romanian teenager without a college degree can create a standard of living equal to $30-$50,000/month in the USA (depending of course on the fact that you are not in DC, LA, Boston, San Fran, etc).

If you have an affinity for the quantitative, try offering some kind of excel-based service. Also, don't buy all this talk about "boo hoo, there's a recession, nobody is spending money, blah blah blah". That's utter balderdash. Now's the best time in the past 70+ years to make money. So much so it causes one to sweat because you realize in a short time everyone else will awaken to the reality and all that easy cash will be gone...

You can make money for yourself online if money is what you require. However, you will need to learn how to package your skills/core competencies/talents, in such a way that it can be effectively monetized; this means learning and speaking the language of people who have the money and are willing to spend it. So you can either become an "independent wage earner" and sell your services on the open market vs. an employer (i.e. check those sites above); or you can set upon the task of owning some of the factors of production, i.e. your own business. Both choices carry a distinct level of uncertainty/risk and reward/$$$. I'm not doing anymore hiring at the moment - else I'd tell you to send me your CV.

Good Luck

Thank you very much.

 

[Geometrick]

I would also look into tutoring your fellow high school students. You can charge 10-12 dollars an hour, much cheaper than tutoring from a physics teacher or a physics grad student.

I don't want to pick on the original poster, but you mentioned a theory on QM and GR, you list that in your About Me. I really want to stress that a theory has to make predictions that are testable against experimental data. For this reason, I like many others do not consider string theory a true "theory" as it does not make any predictions that are testable or that are falsifiable.

 

[turbo]

When I was the age of the OP, I worked part-time in fall and spring and full-time all summer maintaining a large old cemetery. Not too glamorous, but the pay was good and I got to spend a lot of time outdoors. There's nothing wrong with manual labor.

 

[turbo]

Note: tutoring other students might be a good option, BUT there are income taxes to consider, plus self-employment taxes if you want to stay legal. I've been paying into SS since I was about 14.

 

[JasonRox]

I was with chroot from the beginning, and still am.

I'm doing my Master's right now and if I desperately needed a job, I would go for anything. Work at a grocery store and work at finding a better job later.

When you're desparate for a job, it's not the time to be picky at what kind of job you should/want to do. You suck it up and you do it.

My dad would probably say... Do it! Stop being a baby!

I would probably say to my kid... SHUT THE **** UP! Get to work!

I yelled at many of my friends for not working after graduation. I yelled at them to work anywhere until they get that dream job they want. Those who listened to me thank me, those that didn't, now regret it.

 

[benk99nenm312]

I would also look into tutoring your fellow high school students. You can charge 10-12 dollars an hour, much cheaper than tutoring from a physics teacher or a physics grad student.

I don't want to pick on the original poster, but you mentioned a theory on QM and GR, you list that in your About Me. I really want to stress that a theory has to make predictions that are testable against experimental data. For this reason, I like many others do not consider string theory a true "theory" as it does not make any predictions that are testable or that are falsifiable.

I hadn't thought about tutoring before. That's a good idea.

I agree with you. I don't think string theory is a theory either, just a speculation. Incase you're wondering, my theory does make predictions, but the concept of testing these predictions requires money and big machines. I have neither of these, the theory is not complete, and no one will listen anyway.

 

[Geometrick]

I suggest you learn LaTeX, a program you use to author math and physics papers and type up your work. Submit it on arXiv or just put it out there somewhere on the internet. Do you copyright such things? I'm not sure how this works, but it's good to get your ideas out there.

 

[swat4life]

Thank you very much.

Not a problem. Also kid, permit me to be brutally honest here. If you have questions about physics, you go to a physics forum. If you want to learn how to make money, you go to the right place (see some of the links I posted, esp. wickedfire.com).

I don't think this is the ideal venue to get advice about how to monetize your skills and generate income (preferably passive income since you are still in school and you need time to study...). If you want to learn how to make money the first thing you you need are clearly defined goals. "Make extra money" is not a clearly defined goal. Let me give you an example of a clearly defined goal:

"I want to make $120,000+ per year in semi-passive, pre-tax income working only an extra 3 hours a day/90 hours a month. This means I need to generate $328.76/day in revenue".

or

"I want to earn $1,500/month is passive income which means I need to earn approx. $50/day. This means I have to sell 1 item per day at $50 or 15 items per day at $10...etc, etc.".

You wouldn't say "I need to get out more" then just jump in your car and drive 300 miles would you?!

Well the same goes for making money. You need first a clearly defined destination. Secondly, you need a roadmap (preferably one that has been used before successfuly). I value education so I think it would be best for you to find a way to generate income in as passive a way as possible so that you can have time to study. Also, you don't want to miss out on being a kid for something as infinitely-available as money. And trust me, it IS available all around you. However, there is a high probability that the skills that enabled you to do well in your physics classes are not the ones best suited to make you money -easily, effortlessly and abundantly. I'm not telling you to NOT consider tutoring. However, why in the world would you spend 3 or 4 hours a day tutoring kids when you could be making money in your sleep? You could set up an infrastructure for yourself - NOW - that could assist you in saving for college, helping your parents, buying all the geeky, nerdy physics books you want (lol), donating to charity or whatever else makes your pocket protector jump with glee...

The very fact that you started this thread means you are have extra-ordinary motivation and that you are focused - GREAT! However, it would be quite a waste if you didn't use your intelligence in a manner that gives you the highest payout - for the least physical effort. So get moving! Sit yourself down and figure out how much money you want to earn per month. Then figure out how many hours you have to work. With those inputs, devise a strategy that enables you to meet your goals. For example, let's say you have a physics study guide - great! Create a pdf ebook. Then, go to hostgator.com and for $9.95/month sign up for hosting. Create a website using Wordpress (a retard could do this so I am sure you can). Next, you need some traffic. Does your high school have a school newspaper? See how much it costs to put an ad in (if you can't afford that, go to the person who runs it and donate some time to get your ad in). Alternatively, make some old fashioned fliers and put them up around school.

Direct people to your website. If you have a 1-2% conversion rate, that means that if you get 300 visitors/day to your site, you get $29.85 - $59.7/day in revenues. There's your $1,500/month right there! This can be accomplished by summertime if you purpose yourself to ACT. Theories are nice for theoretic physics; if you want to get paid it requires something all together different...

Here's another idea -it's called "labor market arbitrage".

Step 1: find a bunch of dumb dumb kids in your school who need help
Step 2: offer some kind of academic assistance service, package or whatever
Step 3: go to odesk.com and find some smart people in the Philippines, or India or [insert name of Asian country with well trained populace here]
Step 4: you charge $10 or so an hour for your services. Once you get the clients, you pay people from (Step 3) $3 or less to do the work.
Step 5: you pocket the difference. Not only do you not have to exchange your time for money (the quickest way to stress and broke-dom if ever there was one); additionally you have time to study. This means sending off for info on schools, studying more, etc.

So do it now kid. I've told you how to make money/help your parents AND study the science you love AND have time to be a kid. If you follow the advice you can have your quantum cake and eat it too ;)

So don't wait - take action.

Good Luck. And, remember what Goethe said "boldness has genius power and magic in it";- consider the words of the rapper Master P as well "If it doesn't make money, it doesn't make sense!"

I mentor kids all the time and very few take action. I hope you're one that does...

 

[benk99nenm312]

Not a problem. Also kid, permit me to be brutally honest here. If you have questions about physics, you go to a physics forum. If you want to learn how to make money, you go to the right place (see some of the links I posted, esp. wickedfire.com).

I don't think this is the ideal venue to get advice about how to monetize your skills and generate income (preferably passive income since you are still in school and you need time to study...). If you want to learn how to make money the first thing you you need are clearly defined goals. "Make extra money" is not a clearly defined goal. Let me give you an example of a clearly defined goal:

"I want to make $120,000+ per year in semi-passive, pre-tax income working only an extra 3 hours a day/90 hours a month. This means I need to generate $328.76/day in revenue".

or

"I want to earn $1,500/month is passive income which means I need to earn approx. $50/day. This means I have to sell 1 item per day at $50 or 15 items per day at $10...etc, etc.".

You wouldn't say "I need to get out more" then just jump in your car and drive 300 miles would you?!

Well the same goes for making money. You need first a clearly defined destination. Secondly, you need a roadmap (preferably one that has been used before successfuly). I value education so I think it would be best for you to find a way to generate income in as passive a way as possible so that you can have time to study. Also, you don't want to miss out on being a kid for something as infinitely-available as money. And trust me, it IS available all around you. However, there is a high probability that the skills that enabled you to do well in your physics classes are not the ones best suited to make you money -easily, effortlessly and abundantly. I'm not telling you to NOT consider tutoring. However, why in the world would you spend 3 or 4 hours a day tutoring kids when you could be making money in your sleep? You could set up an infrastructure for yourself - NOW - that could assist you in saving for college, helping your parents, buying all the geeky, nerdy physics books you want (lol), donating to charity or whatever else makes your pocket protector jump with glee...

The very fact that you started this thread means you are have extra-ordinary motivation and that you are focused - GREAT! However, it would be quite a waste if you didn't use your intelligence in a manner that gives you the highest payout - for the least physical effort. So get moving! Sit yourself down and figure out how much money you want to earn per month. Then figure out how many hours you have to work. With those inputs, devise a strategy that enables you to meet your goals. For example, let's say you have a physics study guide - great! Create a pdf ebook. Then, go to hostgator.com and for $9.95/month sign up for hosting. Create a website using Wordpress (a retard could do this so I am sure you can). Next, you need some traffic. Does your high school have a school newspaper? See how much it costs to put an ad in (if you can't afford that, go to the person who runs it and donate some time to get your ad in). Alternatively, make some old fashioned fliers and put them up around school.

Direct people to your website. If you have a 1-2% conversion rate, that means that if you get 300 visitors/day to your site, you get $29.85 - $59.7/day in revenues. There's your $1,500/month right there! This can be accomplished by summertime if you purpose yourself to ACT. Theories are nice for theoretic physics; if you want to get paid it requires something all together different...

Here's another idea -it's called "labor market arbitrage".

Step 1: find a bunch of dumb dumb kids in your school who need help
Step 2: offer some kind of academic assistance service, package or whatever
Step 3: go to odesk.com and find some smart people in the Philippines, or India or [insert name of Asian country with well trained populace here]
Step 4: you charge $10 or so an hour for your services. Once you get the clients, you pay people from (Step 3) $3 or less to do the work.
Step 5: you pocket the difference. Not only do you not have to exchange your time for money (the quickest way to stress and broke-dom if ever there was one); additionally you have time to study. This means sending off for info on schools, studying more, etc.

So do it now kid. I've told you how to make money/help your parents AND study the science you love AND have time to be a kid. If you follow the advice you can have your quantum cake and eat it too ;)

So don't wait - take action.

Good Luck. And, remember what Goethe said "boldness has genius power and magic in it";- consider the words of the rapper Master P as well "If it doesn't make money, it doesn't make sense!"

I mentor kids all the time and very few take action. I hope you're one that does...

I like the idea of creating a physics study guide. That's inventive. If tutoring, I would probably like to actually tutor the kids myself. I would try teaching a friend something, and then I would see if they think I am a good enough teacher to tutor. Being a middle-man to Indian tutoring is cool, but I would rather not put the communication problems on the students I arrange to be tutored.

I'm going to go eat some 'quantum cake.'

 

[Wellesley]

If tutoring, I would probably like to actually tutor the kids myself. I would try teaching a friend something, and then I would see if they think I am a good enough teacher to tutor.

Just remember that it may require some time before you become really good at tutoring. Just stick with it, even if it's rough at first.

 

[oceania]

i hope you won't go to a manufacture,it's to tired,i think every young must have their own beautiful sky,a buautiful past.soi hope you won't go to a manufacturer.

 

[swat4life]

I would also look into tutoring your fellow high school students. You can charge 10-12 dollars an hour, much cheaper than tutoring from a physics teacher or a physics grad student.

I don't want to pick on the original poster, but you mentioned a theory on QM and GR, you list that in your About Me. I really want to stress that a theory has to make predictions that are testable against experimental data. For this reason, I like many others do not consider string theory a true "theory" as it does not make any predictions that are testable or that are falsifiable.

Well last time I heard, they've made great progress with the effort to test the theory and collect some form of experimental data. Brian Greene talked about it in the 2008 TED conference.



If you're interested in String Theory kid, by all means delve deep. You could find out something that no one else does - remember always, "question everything" even the so called "facts". This is not being a fashionable iconoclast but rather striving to discover the glorious truth - IMHO and with all do respect to the poster above.

Also, forgive me for saying this but don't be so impressionable. If you have an interest in something, don't "change your dreams" based on what one person might say. You could well be headed to Aula Magna one day (the hall where the Nobel Prize winner(s) in physics give their customary talk each year at Stockholm University) - stranger things have happened ;)

 

[chiro]

If everyone is telling you the same thing, have you considered the possibility that they are correct?

Lots of people used to say the world was flat but it doesn't mean that they were correct either

 

[Vanadium 50]

Lots of people used to say the world was flat but it doesn't mean that they were correct either

Do you have a specific objection to what I said?

 

[DukeofDuke]

I know I can be arrogant sometimes, so, I'm sorry. In whatever defense you will allow me to have, I was somehow being attacked by 2-3 different people when I posted all of that, and I don't respond politely under pressure.

Dude, trust me, there's good reason for this. I just finished my first year mechanics course and E&M at college, forget all the names of fancy theories and big words you know, the one thing I've learned is that talking physics without calculus is like trying to count without numbers. Its just not possible. English is not the language of physics. Math is. You can't speak math yet, so you don't know ANY physics. Sure, you know names, so does everyone. The think is that without mathematics its so utterly pointless to talk about the things you're talking about that the other posters are just in awe at your ignorance.

Not at your lack of knowledge, not that kind of ignorance. But at your ignorance of your own ignorance. Saying you understand anything about Physics with precalculus is having an extreme lack of knowledge of your own ignorance, and THAT's what's pissing everyone off. Plus they've seen enough crackpot google theorists to not tolerate it anymore.

Hey, you probably know more names of theories than me, almost guaranteed. But without calculus, you wouldn't last two seconds against me in an actual test of physics knowledge, of understanding. So, are you surprised that the professionals on this site are getting pissed, when they literally understand things several thousand times better than me? Even I'm laughing at you a bit, and you will too in a couple of years once you start learning how much you have to learn. Dude, it is IMPOSSIBLE to understand ANYTHING about Physics without mathematical knowledge of say Maxwell's Equations, and the more you think about the equations, the more you learn. Those things are beasts and contain the roots of practically everything you study in undergrad, however I guarantee they're mumbo jumbo without math.

I'm not much older than you man, we're in the same boat here. Only difference is that I learned, finally, something Feynman knew earlier than both of us: "I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something."

 

[tormund]

hey all!
whatz with you all badgering him!
its not the end of the world if he doesn't know everything there is to know, he's just trying to get a job to help out his family for cryin out loud.
begs the question, how much did you know about physics when u were sixteen?
he's not expected to know everything.
tor

Exercise hard, eat right, die anyway.

 

[DukeofDuke]

hey all!
whatz with you all badgering him!
its not the end of the world if he doesn't know everything there is to know, he's just trying to get a job to help out his family for cryin out loud.
begs the question, how much did you know about physics when u were sixteen?
he's not expected to know everything.
tor

Exercise hard, eat right, die anyway.

I think it was the part where he went all "do you have any physics maths jobs, because I can assure you I'm qualified" that got people mad. I mean, it got me a little annoyed considering how useless I am going to be in most physics and mathematics fields for the next couple of years even though I study my *** off in uni =D

 

[Skins]

I'm a 16 year old high school student, and I really need money (for family support). I've been wondering, is there any kind of job where I could work in the area of math or physics? (By the way, I assure you I'd be qualified.) I'm already pulling a job at Hy-Vee, but I'm not a blue collar person. Is there some sort of internship that I'm missing, or am I pretty much doomed?

Thanks in advance.

Okay, I've been following this thread for a spell. Here's my take.

First. I can identify with what you are saying. When I was 16 and in high school I was very interested in math, chemistry and physics. I had learned a little math, physics and chem, I did some reading and learning on my own in addition to what I was taught in school, I had discussions with people who worked in the various sciences as professors, teachers, engineers, computer pro's, etc. I too felt it would be great if I could land some sort of job where I can work in one of these professions as opposed to working in a supermarket or a Burger King, or any of the other jobs that were common for people of my age.

One thing I learned quickly. Without any college under your belt you can pretty much forget about landing any kind of professional science / math job. Since I didn't care for supermarkets or Burger King's I took a job with a roofer in NYC and spent most of my time filling and hauling tar buckets, helping with the rigging and scaffolding, hauling drums or paint, tools, etc.

Once I got into college the job landscape changed. After completing my freshman year there were actual openings in the science and math related professions. My first job was a part time work-study program as a lab technician at a prominent company that does food research. After completing my second year of college I was able to land a job as an Engineering Specialist with a company that designed and built electrochemical systems. I had my own desk and I worked under the direction of a Ph.D Chemist/Engineer carrying out tests, experiments, writing reports, and conferring with the scientists and engineers. A little bit of college opened a lot of doors for me. And while the work was still not as challenging as I might have wished it to be, it was still nice to be in a professional job.

As far as my major in college I did an undergrad degree in Mathematics and went on to do graduate work in Math. Over the years my strong math background has enabled me to work in a wide range of industries such as, Information technology, Science and Engineering, Finance, Insurance, Government, and Education.

My advice to you is to hang in their. Don't get discouraged. You have a long way to go. Don't expect to find a job in math or science until you get at least some college under your belt. Work at whatever you can work at for now. Make the best of it. It may not be the kind of challenging and exciting work you would like but for the time being its work. it's a step we all had to go through. Focus on finishing high school, getting good grades and set your sights on getting into a good college for Math and/or Science. Once in college get that Math down. calculus, Linear & Abstract Algebra, Probability Theory, Numerican Analyisis, etc. are all applicable to the wide variety of ideas and problems you will encounter in your professional carreer. Work hard, don't give up and stay focused and I'm sure you'll be okay. Oh, and yes, be confident. One of my weaker points has always been lack of confidence in myself. It has worked against me at times. Don't let it work against you.

Be patient. that interesting/challenging/rewarding professional career is out there for you. You just need some time and some added experience, i.e. College , to open the doors.

 

[Wellesley]

Okay, I've been following this thread for a spell. Here's my take.

First. I can identify with what you are saying. When I was 16 and in high school I was very interested in math, chemistry and physics. I had learned a little math, physics and chem, I did some reading and learning on my own in addition to what I was taught in school, I had discussions with people who worked in the various sciences as professors, teachers, engineers, computer pro's, etc. I too felt it would be great if I could land some sort of job where I can work in one of these professions as opposed to working in a supermarket or a Burger King, or any of the other jobs that were common for people of my age.

One thing I learned quickly. Without any college under your belt you can pretty much forget about landing any kind of professional science / math job. Since I didn't care for supermarkets or Burger King's I took a job with a roofer in NYC and spent most of my time filling and hauling tar buckets, helping with the rigging and scaffolding, hauling drums or paint, tools, etc.

Once I got into college the job landscape changed. After completing my freshman year there were actual openings in the science and math related professions. My first job was a part time work-study program as a lab technician at a prominent company that does food research. After completing my second year of college I was able to land a job as an Engineering Specialist with a company that designed and built electrochemical systems. I had my own desk and I worked under the direction of a Ph.D Chemist/Engineer carrying out tests, experiments, writing reports, and conferring with the scientists and engineers. A little bit of college opened a lot of doors for me. And while the work was still not as challenging as I might have wished it to be, it was still nice to be in a professional job.

As far as my major in college I did an undergrad degree in Mathematics and went on to do graduate work in Math. Over the years my strong math background has enabled me to work in a wide range of industries such as, Information technology, Science and Engineering, Finance, Insurance, Government, and Education.

My advice to you is to hang in their. Don't get discouraged. You have a long way to go. Don't expect to find a job in math or science until you get at least some college under your belt. Work at whatever you can work at for now. Make the best of it. It may not be the kind of challenging and exciting work you would like but for the time being its work. it's a step we all had to go through. Focus on finishing high school, getting good grades and set your sights on getting into a good college for Math and/or Science. Once in college get that Math down. calculus, Linear & Abstract Algebra, Probability Theory, Numerican Analyisis, etc. are all applicable to the wide variety of ideas and problems you will encounter in your professional carreer. Work hard, don't give up and stay focused and I'm sure you'll be okay. Oh, and yes, be confident. One of my weaker points has always been lack of confidence in myself. It has worked against me at times. Don't let it work against you.

Be patient. that interesting/challenging/rewarding professional career is out there for you. You just need some time and some added experience, i.e. College , to open the doors.

Very well put ! I think that was great advice.