Help Ted Decide on a Career Path: Seeking Advice from Experienced Professionals

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around a high school student, Ted, who is uncertain about his future career path, specifically in cosmology. At 16-17 years old, he has shown strong aptitude in mathematics and physics, evidenced by his second-place finish in a national astrophysics Olympiad. Ted expresses frustration with his current high school curriculum and is seeking guidance on how to pursue his interest in cosmology while preparing for an upcoming standardized test similar to the SAT.Participants in the discussion emphasize that many peers are not engaged in research at his age, alleviating some of his concerns. They encourage him to explore cosmology further and assess his passion for the subject beyond popular science. Additionally, they inquire about his mathematical background, suggesting that understanding calculus is crucial for his future studies. The conversation highlights the importance of finding relevant resources and books to deepen his knowledge while balancing school responsibilities.
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Hi guys I'm ted. I'm posting this thread because I'm not sure what career to follow and I could really use some help.

First of all let me give you some info for me.I'm16-17 y.o and going to high school.
At 15 I came 2nd to my countrie's astrophysics Olympiad.Read apostol's calculus and since then I've done almost nothing concerning beyond school reading.

I've been searching for books for a long time and found nothing(that's relevant, there are plenty of books out there) .Next year I am giving a similar to sat exam so they made me afraid to read a book that could take time from my school reading.

What career should i choose and what should my steps from now on be in order to pursue my goals?

I've always wanted to become a top^! cosmologist .I am really concerned about the fact that kids in my age are doing research in this field , and also that I am really sick of reading math and physics for high school(I mean if I didn't know what real math look like I'd probably drop school).

At the same time I believe that I need to discover my intelligence limits and read something that could help me really know if I love physics or the popular part of it.
Thank you for your time!
 
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Ted7 said:
I've been searching for books for a long time and found nothing(that's relevant, there are plenty of books out there) .Next year I am giving a similar to sat exam so they made me afraid to read a book that could take time from my school reading.

Don't worry there are a lot of books. First of all, what is your mathematical background? Do you know how to solve integrals, find derivatives of functions?

Ted7 said:
What career should i choose and what should my steps from now on be in order to pursue my goals?

I've always wanted to become a top^! cosmologist .I am really concerned about the fact that kids in my age are doing research in this field , and also that I am really sick of reading math and physics for high school(I mean if I didn't know what real math look like I'd probably drop school).
Almost no kid in your age is doing research, so don't worry about that. As you said you want to become a cosmologist, so the best you can do right now is to spend some time to actually figure out what cosmology is about.
Ted7 said:
...and read something that could help me really know if I love physics or the popular part of it.
After telling us your mathematical background, we could probably recommend you a couple of books about that.Minas
 
MinasKar said:
Don't worry there are a lot of books. First of all, what is your mathematical background? Do you know how to solve integrals, find derivatives of functions?Almost no kid in your age is doing research, so don't worry about that. As you said you want to become a cosmologist, so the best you can do right now is to spend some time to actually figure out what cosmology is about.

After telling us your mathematical background, we could probably recommend you a couple of books about that.Minas
Are you Greek ?(cause I am , too!).Well as I said before a couple of years ago I studied apostol's calculus
.Right now my calculus level must be low .Well I am pretty sure I can refresh my knowledge but don't expect something too fancy except from basic integrals and derivatives.Thank you for your help!
 
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