- #1
cuda42
- 3
- 0
Greetings,
I'll just start then I guess...
I have a degree in computer engineering and am currently about half done with a master's in computer science. I'm certain on pursuing a Ph.D. but am not certain exactly what I want to do.
During my undergrad I was often attracted to mathematics & physics but pursued computer engineering because I enjoyed programming and the quite honestly the job prospects were quite a bit better(this was before I decided I wanted to go to grad school). Since I was young I've always been attracted to physics, I'm a fan of some of the big names (Greene, Susskind, t'hooft, etc..) and have read many of their books. I've always been absolutely fascinated with special relativity and string theory. Some of the other portions of physics I haven't any real interest in(say like fluids, classical mechanics, ...).
Now that I've started a Master's in computer engineering I've been thinking about what I really would like to do with the rest of my life. Right now I am working on some of the hotter topics in computer science, there are aspects that are interesting but to be honest the majority of my field I find quite boring. If I continue what I'm doing now I will surely be able to find a nice-paying position after school, but I'm afraid I will always have doubts about if I pursued the right thing or not. From what I hear the job prospects for freshly minter physics Ph.D.s are pretty bleak. I've been taking math classes every semester and while I could use some work I can hang with some of the math grad students in these classes.
To sum it up I feel that I don't have the background to pursue a physics Ph.D., while my interests are far from the typical comp. sci. major.
Any words of advice?
I'll just start then I guess...
I have a degree in computer engineering and am currently about half done with a master's in computer science. I'm certain on pursuing a Ph.D. but am not certain exactly what I want to do.
During my undergrad I was often attracted to mathematics & physics but pursued computer engineering because I enjoyed programming and the quite honestly the job prospects were quite a bit better(this was before I decided I wanted to go to grad school). Since I was young I've always been attracted to physics, I'm a fan of some of the big names (Greene, Susskind, t'hooft, etc..) and have read many of their books. I've always been absolutely fascinated with special relativity and string theory. Some of the other portions of physics I haven't any real interest in(say like fluids, classical mechanics, ...).
Now that I've started a Master's in computer engineering I've been thinking about what I really would like to do with the rest of my life. Right now I am working on some of the hotter topics in computer science, there are aspects that are interesting but to be honest the majority of my field I find quite boring. If I continue what I'm doing now I will surely be able to find a nice-paying position after school, but I'm afraid I will always have doubts about if I pursued the right thing or not. From what I hear the job prospects for freshly minter physics Ph.D.s are pretty bleak. I've been taking math classes every semester and while I could use some work I can hang with some of the math grad students in these classes.
To sum it up I feel that I don't have the background to pursue a physics Ph.D., while my interests are far from the typical comp. sci. major.
Any words of advice?