Does theoretical have good prospects?

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The discussion centers on the value of specializing in theoretical physics for a degree. While many believe that most physics and tech jobs require practical, experimental skills, it's noted that undergraduate studies in physics cover similar foundational topics for both theoretical and experimental tracks. The distinction becomes more pronounced at the postgraduate level, where different approaches to the same subjects are explored. It's emphasized that valuable skills learned during this education are applicable in the workplace, and the notion that experimental physicists primarily work in labs is outdated; modern experimental physics often involves analyzing real-world data rather than hands-on experimentation. Overall, the conversation suggests that pursuing theoretical physics can be beneficial, despite common perceptions about job requirements.
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i am starting do be very interested in theoretical physics, if i specialised in this for a degree, would that be a good thing?, i mean surely most physics and tech jobs require mainly experimental skills?
 
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Yeah, most jobs want more practical skills, but at least you get the ladies.
 
johng23 said:
Yeah, most jobs want more practical skills, but at least you get the ladies.

I can't hold off the attention from the groupies, I am ****ing rockstar. (-:
 
isn't telling someone you are a physicist a conversation killer?
 
Not if someone is a physicist :)
 
brock321 said:
isn't telling someone you are a physicist a conversation killer?

Wait, why is that? I think telling someone that you are a detective is a conversation killer
 
There are hundreds of these threads, do a search. This topic comes up almost daily - in my eyes one cannot specialize as a theoretical physicist at undergraduate level. The basics are the same for theory and experimental physics. You will study the same thing.

At post-graduate level, it involves different approaches to the same topics. This is when it matters. Either way, you'll learn valuable skills that have applications in the workplace.

And, re: your question about needing experimental skills in the workplace - no. Experimental physics isn't what any undergraduates seem to think it is. It's about using real-world data. Very rarely do experimental physicists sit in a lab building experiments - it doesn't really happen that way any more. At undergraduate, it's all the same thing really - in a 'theoretical course' you'll do more maths , the difference just about ends there.
 
fasterthanjoao said:
There are hundreds of these threads, do a search. This topic comes up almost daily - in my eyes one cannot specialize as a theoretical physicist at undergraduate level. The basics are the same for theory and experimental physics. You will study the same thing.

At post-graduate level, it involves different approaches to the same topics. This is when it matters. Either way, you'll learn valuable skills that have applications in the workplace.

And, re: your question about needing experimental skills in the workplace - no. Experimental physics isn't what any undergraduates seem to think it is. It's about using real-world data. Very rarely do experimental physicists sit in a lab building experiments - it doesn't really happen that way any more. At undergraduate, it's all the same thing really - in a 'theoretical course' you'll do more maths , the difference just about ends there.

Thanks
 
fasterthanjoao said:
There are hundreds of these threads, do a search. This topic comes up almost daily - in my eyes one cannot specialize as a theoretical physicist at undergraduate level. The basics are the same for theory and experimental physics. You will study the same thing.

At post-graduate level, it involves different approaches to the same topics. This is when it matters. Either way, you'll learn valuable skills that have applications in the workplace.

And, re: your question about needing experimental skills in the workplace - no. Experimental physics isn't what any undergraduates seem to think it is. It's about using real-world data. Very rarely do experimental physicists sit in a lab building experiments - it doesn't really happen that way any more. At undergraduate, it's all the same thing really - in a 'theoretical course' you'll do more maths , the difference just about ends there.

interesting, could you expand on how topics are approached differently?
 

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