Changing my life from Engineering to Theoretical Physics

[w4y021]

Long times have been that I've decided changing my job from engineering to theoretical physics. Because I don't want to learn the rules that have been discovered by any scientists and make a situation about getting it real :]. I want to learn how the rules of nature is being discovered and what the experiments have been made to discover them? Namely this is a big deal and a long way because physics takes your life and years. If you want to success, you need to devote your life for this. I've started from Calculus I & University Physics - I (Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism). So this is the list of lessons I've researched from web and take some advices from my friends that I need to learn and jump to Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics, Electromagnetic Field Theory etc. when they finished.

Calculus - I - II (Single & Multivariable Calculus)
University Physics - I - II (Classical Mechanics & Electromagnetism) ==> Book: University Physics (Young and Freedman)

Optics & Waves ==> Book: (Can you offer one?)
Differential Equations ==> Book: Elementary Differential Equations (Meade-DiPrima-Boyce)
Linear Algebra ==> Book: Introduction to Linear Algebra (Gilbert Strang)
Probability and Statistics ==> Book: Introduction to Probability (Bertsekas & Tsitsiklis)

So for the other lectures I'm waiting your advices of books like quantum physics, statistical mechanics...

Or any other advices howto study physics and maths. Take care:]

 

[hutchphd]

I trust you are aware of MIT open courseware... For instance Prof Strang's lectures are there for Linear Algebra. And Prof. Lewin's physics lectures can still be viewed variously from other sources (a sad interlude).

 

[Dr. Courtney]

There is an oversupply of talented graduates in theoretical physics relative to the number of full time long term jobs for them. Many end up working in industry doing other things or in education doing more teaching than theoretical physics.

The supply of graduates in engineering is well matched or a bit less than the demand for them in full time long term jobs, depending on the field of engineering and geography.

Depending on your station in life and resources, it may not be worth the time and effort to acquire training in theoretical physics if finding a job in the field is unlikely.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I am completely confused by your history and your plan. What is it you are trying to do? Seld-study and then take a job as a theoretical physicist? And how did you get to be a civil engineer without taking elementary physics?