Does theoretical have good prospects?

[brock321]

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?

 

[johng23]

Yeah, most jobs want more practical skills, but at least you get the ladies.

 

[MathematicalPhysicist]

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. (-:

 

[brock321]

isn't telling someone you are a physicist a conversation killer?

 

[Angry Citizen]

Not if someone is a physicist :)

 

[gretun]

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

 

[fasterthanjoao]

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.

 

[brock321]

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

 

[brock321]

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?