lastband said:
I currently have education in religion, and at 46 years old, I have the desire to go back to school and study astronomy/physics etc.. i would be starting all over and would take til I am 55 if i go post doctorate. My interest in astronomy started when i was 12. if i had attended a better school, my science interest may have been reinforced better.
instead i was at religious school that did not focus on such things. my eighth grade paper on cosmology received an A+ primarily i believe because my science teacher had no idea what i was talking about. (my science teacher's primary education was not in science, my school forced teachers to work outside their comfort zone to save money). anyway, i was to blame also, i could have sought out groups outside my school for further discussion etc. but i didn't.
I succumbed to the pressures of my private school and studied religion instead. I do value my education, but has never been practical, and never really made a career with it. So now, late in life, I would like to finally pursue my interest in science. Any advice etc would be greatly appreciated, thank you and God bless
I have not visited this site for a long time. But I was thinking about religion vs science and vaguely remembered posting something here related to this topic, so I searched and came up with your post.
This question raises some important issues, and it interests me, so I am temporarily breaking my rule about never participating in social media again. I hope my comments are useful to at least one reader who is considering a career choice.
I hope no one minds a few personal remarks. I was not raised in any particular religion. My heritage is Protestant going back to the Reformation, but most of my family members were not interested in organized religion.
I was always interested in science and technology. I was attracted in particular to physics, and that was my major at university. However, as a result of some study, but more significantly based on dramatic personal experiences, I had also been baptized as a young adult in the Roman Catholic Church. Without going into detail, I had to deal, as many scientific types do, with the relationship between religion and science. More on that later on.
I was virtually a physics fanatic as an undergraduate, I did rather well in my classes, and I planned to continue to my PhD in that topic. I was taking graduate courses in advanced quantum theory in my senior year. I thought physics was by far the most important field of study. I tended to put any interest in religion in the background.
However, I began to use computers rather heavily, and learned artificial intelligence programming on my own. My first interest was neural networks, a topic which at that time was not as well known by the general public as it is today. Later I delved into logic programming using Lisp and Prolog.
Once I realized the potential of AI, my career choice changed. To make a long story short, eventually I told my academic adviser, who was a physicist, that I would finish my physics degree, which I did, but then go to graduate school in computer engineering and get at least a masters degree, which I also did. My goal was to develop computer systems for AI. I could see that much of the work of scientists and engineers could be accomplished using AI. For example, one of the researchers who worked at the Princeton fusion reactor laboratory said that most of the work done for the lab by theoretical physicists could be handled by an expert system, which is a type of AI program. Note that he did say "most," not "all."
I also saw AI in terms of what we now call The Singularity, which frankly has elements of science fiction and fantasy, and has become perhaps a substitute for religion among many who are not religious believers. I still find this topic fascinating, while being skeptical about its claims to be the true path to immortality.
I don't know you, and besides I don't feel qualified to give personal career advice to anyone. But in general I think people might find it useful to consider the following. Being interested in physics is one thing. But actually going to university, studying physics, and getting even an undergraduate degree in physics or in any other STEM subject is not easy. In fact it's difficult. I think it's much harder if you don't start young on a STEM track.
People should place this whole question of what to study in terms of their life in general, and think in terms of a cost vs benefit analysis. By cost I refer both to money and to time. One should think of specific long term goals and use backward planning to figure out how to achieve those goals, as opposed to getting a degree in the hope that somehow it may lead to a better life.
I think the Germans have a more practical approach to education than we do in the USA, where so many people still believe that having at least a four-year degree is some kind of key to a good life. The truth is otherwise. There are many people in the USA who have more than one academic degree and are struggling just to make ends meet. Some work in Silicon Valley but are living out of their cars because they can't afford housing. On the other hand, just look at certain technology billionaires, or look at other intelligent and also wealthy people. Do you think they regret not spending years getting a PhD, spending more years in poverty as post-Docs, and then struggling in the competition to get at least an associate professor job? Some very wealthy people have only a high school degree. They can still be involved in STEM areas, but in the role of donations or investments rather than engaging in the actual technical work.
But perhaps someone is very interested in science and technology and wants to learn more and perhaps make a living in some STEM area. This is where computers come in. You are certainly not too old to learn about computers. Also the information you need to get started in programming is freely available online.
I read an article about a much older Japanese lady who taught herself programming and has made a popular smart phone app. This is something that many people enjoy, and it can sometimes be quite lucrative. Why not think along these lines? You can always read physics books meant for a general audience. You could also follow astronomy, which you mentioned, as a hobby, without getting any degree.
Regarding your religious education and background, and its relation to physics and other sciences, please consider the following. The scientific method is appropriate for understanding how nature operates, at least up to a point. However, ultimately it is based on experience, meaning observation and experiment. I would always defend the scientific method. However, due to my own undeniable personal experiences, I will also defend my religion.
I did not always think this way. But my attitude towards both science and religion is based on more knowledge and personal experience than I used to have. This is true particularly after recent events in my life. This is a very complex issue and this is the wrong forum to get into details.
To sum up, I would say it's better to engage in long range planning, in terms of specific goals and how to achieve them, when considering going to university. But put everything in the context of having a happy life. This is true at any age. Perhaps you can achieve happiness without ever setting foot on a university campus. Also, be realistic about both your own needs and desires, as well as your academic potential. How about taking an aptitude test, in order to get an objective assessment of your abilities? Maybe take a single class at a community college and see how that goes, before thinking in terms of a four-year university degree program. Perform a cost-benefit analysis in terms of time and money invested.
