- #1
helios.jones
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I am 17 year old Indian, I'll complete high school in a few months. I love science. My lust for physics is well beyond school books (which are trivial and boring). I learned the Feynman Lectures on Physics (all three Volumes) almost three years ago (This is just to give you an idea). I have a profound understanding of most forms of calculus and a lot of other mathematics too. I am good at chemistry, if you wouldn't care about the pointless memorizing involved, but never cared about it. I am a self taught computer programmer as well. After physics and math, computers are my next favorite hobby.
Ever since I can remember I always wanted to be a physicist (My parents tell me that I used to want to be like Dexter from Dexter's lab :D ). But the following scares me:
Don't Be a Scientist (article)
Physics Forum article
In retrospect, I realize I never had a life outside science and computers. I never cared about anything else (Maybe science fiction, which still motivates me).
What career path should I take? I don't care about money as long as I am in academia, but I don't want to live a life in poverty. I intend to get a Bachelors in Physics from India, then go abroad. What must I do?
Do a masters, then a Ph.D. and work on some research? How many years will that take?
Or should I get a Masters and Ph.D in Computer Science (If I do, how long might that take?) work, earn enough and then return to physics?
Please note that a Bachelors degree with honours in India takes only three years compared to American schools which takes four.
The idea of leaving physics makes me very very depressed.
In short what must I do, what universities should I think about, what degrees must I get and what career would suite me?
If I were to settle down somewhere, USA, Canada, UK, Switzerland and Germany are my favorite places.
P.S.If I do work as a physicist, I am better as a theoretical physicist than an experimental physicist. Also, I am socially very awkward among people I don't know personally, when people talk about science (and get most things wrong) I become restless, disturbed and very very arrogrant.
If this is any help, my character is a lot like Feynman as he described in his memoirs "SYJ Mr.Feynman" and "What do you care what other people think?".With slight differences like what he did with radios, I did with slightly more advanced 21st century electronics and his safecracking adventures remind me of my hacking adventures.
If someone else had similar problems and posted it here already, this thread is still relevant since the world is changing really fast
Ever since I can remember I always wanted to be a physicist (My parents tell me that I used to want to be like Dexter from Dexter's lab :D ). But the following scares me:
Don't Be a Scientist (article)
Physics Forum article
In retrospect, I realize I never had a life outside science and computers. I never cared about anything else (Maybe science fiction, which still motivates me).
What career path should I take? I don't care about money as long as I am in academia, but I don't want to live a life in poverty. I intend to get a Bachelors in Physics from India, then go abroad. What must I do?
Do a masters, then a Ph.D. and work on some research? How many years will that take?
Or should I get a Masters and Ph.D in Computer Science (If I do, how long might that take?) work, earn enough and then return to physics?
Please note that a Bachelors degree with honours in India takes only three years compared to American schools which takes four.
The idea of leaving physics makes me very very depressed.
In short what must I do, what universities should I think about, what degrees must I get and what career would suite me?
If I were to settle down somewhere, USA, Canada, UK, Switzerland and Germany are my favorite places.
P.S.If I do work as a physicist, I am better as a theoretical physicist than an experimental physicist. Also, I am socially very awkward among people I don't know personally, when people talk about science (and get most things wrong) I become restless, disturbed and very very arrogrant.
If this is any help, my character is a lot like Feynman as he described in his memoirs "SYJ Mr.Feynman" and "What do you care what other people think?".With slight differences like what he did with radios, I did with slightly more advanced 21st century electronics and his safecracking adventures remind me of my hacking adventures.
If someone else had similar problems and posted it here already, this thread is still relevant since the world is changing really fast
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