Can Physicists Balance Career and Social Life?

[AlexES16]

I love Physics and Math and really want to become good a it. I like to make exercise, hang out with friends, have a girlfriend and maybe in the future have a family. I know that you have to put the effort to succeed but i like to know if at least let you time to do the thing i mentioned above.

 

[lisab]

It's all about priorities, Alex. When I was in college, I didn't have time for a social life...just school, work, exercise. I waited until school was nearly finished before I started socializing much again.

You can have it all, but perhaps you can't have it all at the same time.

 

[BobG]

I've never seen the terms "physicist", "time", and "social life" used in the same sentence before.

 

[arunma]

I love Physics and Math and really want to become good a it. I like to make exercise, hang out with friends, have a girlfriend and maybe in the future have a family. I know that you have to put the effort to succeed but i like to know if at least let you time to do the thing i mentioned above.

Of course physicists can have social lives. In fact, I think grad school is easier than college ever was. Sure, I work about fifty to sixty hours a week. But when I go home I don't have to worry about studying for some standardized test, or doing my research project (since research is my job), or doing forty pages of mechanics homework. In practice many physicists don't have social lives, but I think this is more due to social ineptitude than time constraints.

 

[rootX]

but I think this is more due to social ineptitude than time constraints.

That's a good excuse but it is more likely due to ..

It's all about priorities

 

[AlexES16]

It's all about priorities, Alex. When I was in college, I didn't have time for a social life...just school, work, exercise. I waited until school was nearly finished before I started socializing much again.

You can have it all, but perhaps you can't have it all at the same time.

At least have a girlfriend and exercise? xD

 

[AlexES16]

Of course physicists can have social lives. In fact, I think grad school is easier than college ever was. Sure, I work about fifty to sixty hours a week. But when I go home I don't have to worry about studying for some standardized test, or doing my research project (since research is my job), or doing forty pages of mechanics homework. In practice many physicists don't have social lives, but I think this is more due to social ineptitude than time constraints.

It is possible to have a girlfriend and exercise?

 

[f95toli]

It depends. I can certainly very difficult while you are a undergrad student, and it doesn't get much easier as a PhD student.
I have friends who managed to raise a family while doing a PhD, they were perhaps not working as many hours as me but they were usually much more efficient than me when they DID work.
That said, I am a pretty good example of someone who did not manage to find the time for a social life while doing a PhD; so it really depends on how you are.


However, physicists are not exactly unique in this respect, everyone -regardless of education and job- have these problems to some extent. But of course it is worse for those of us who goes into a "challenging" career (I suspect it is even worse for say medical doctors)

So the bad news is that you will never have as much time for a social life as you have now, regardless of what you choose.
Welcome to the real world

 

[AlexES16]

It depends. I can certainly very difficult while you are a undergrad student, and it doesn't get much easier as a PhD student.
I have friends who managed to raise a family while doing a PhD, they were perhaps not working as many hours as me but they were usually much more efficient than me when they DID work.
That said, I am a pretty good example of someone who did not manage to find the time for a social life while doing a PhD; so it really depends on how you are.


However, physicists are not exactly unique in this respect, everyone -regardless of education and job- have these problems to some extent. But of course it is worse for those of us who goes into a "challenging" career (I suspect it is even worse for say medical doctors)

So the bad news is that you will never have as much time for a social life as you have now, regardless of what you choose.
Welcome to the real world

Well. i was thinking, my country is El Salvador, not what we can say a superpower xD. So maybe i get the licentiate in Physics and next i get a engineer degree, good idea?

 

[arunma]

It is possible to have a girlfriend and exercise?

Sure. I go to the gym three to four times a week in the evening. I'm not really interested in the whole girlfriend thing (and to clarify: no, I'm not interested in the boyfriend thing either ), so can't really give you any first-hand experience there. But I do know people who have girlfriends. I think they exercise too.

Seriously though, I don't think physics grad school is much different than having a job. I know people who work regular jobs who sometimes have to stay in the office after hours and pull all nighters. At least if you go the grad school way you get to put "Dr." in front of your name at the end of the whole thing, which I think is pretty damn cool. Granted, the pay sucks, and the job security is nonexistent, but it's worth it if you like physics.

Well. i was thinking, my country is El Salvador, not what we can say a superpower xD. So maybe i get the licentiate in Physics and next i get a engineer degree, good idea?

Why not just get your college degree in engineering? If you want to be an engineer, it's way easier than getting in with a physics degree.

 

[AlexES16]

Sure. I go to the gym three to four times a week in the evening. I'm not really interested in the whole girlfriend thing (and to clarify: no, I'm not interested in the boyfriend thing either ), so can't really give you any first-hand experience there. But I do know people who have girlfriends. I think they exercise too.

Seriously though, I don't think physics grad school is much different than having a job. I know people who work regular jobs who sometimes have to stay in the office after hours and pull all nighters. At least if you go the grad school way you get to put "Dr." in front of your name at the end of the whole thing, which I think is pretty damn cool. Granted, the pay sucks, and the job security is nonexistent, but it's worth it if you like physics.



Why not just get your college degree in engineering? If you want to be an engineer, it's way easier than getting in with a physics degree.

Well ill start a new thread about what engineer to choose.

Thanks men

 

[Noxide]

It is possible to have a girlfriend and exercise?

Having a girlfriend is exercise.

 

[unitaryTform]

I am a Ph.D student and I have it all. If you don't do socializing/exercising, it is very probable that you will be burnt out in the graduate school. You don't want this because when you are burn out, you can't get things done, you are not efficient at all. So, having a balanced work/social life is key for successfully finishing the graduate school. The first year of grad school can be a bit busy though. But, other than that, you should be able have a balanced work/social life.

 

[Pythagorean]

Of course physicists have a social life. It consists of:

professors, advisors, academic peers, bureaucracy, and your loyal textbooks (they always got your back).