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.
Ted7
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
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!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
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!
 
TL;DR Summary: What topics to cover to safely say I know arithmetic ? I am learning arithmetic from Indian NCERT textbook. Currently I have finished addition ,substraction of 2 digit numbers and divisions, multiplication of 1 digit numbers. I am moving pretty slowly. Can someone tell me what topics to cover first to build a framework and then go on in detail. I want to learn fast. It has taken me a year now learning arithmetic. I want to speed up. Thanks for the help in advance. (I also...
Hi community My aim is to get into research about atoms, specifically, I want to do experimental research that explores questions like: 1. Why do Gallium/Mercury have low melting points 2. Why are there so many exceptions and inconsistencies when it comes to explaining molecular structures / reaction mechanisms in inorganic and organic chemistry 3. Experimental research about fundamental Quantum Mechanics, such as the one being followed by Hiroshima university that proved that observing...
guys i am currently studying in computer science engineering [1st yr]. i was intrested in physics when i was in high school. due to some circumstances i chose computer science engineering degree. so i want to incoporate computer science engineering with physics and i came across computational physics. i am intrested studying it but i dont know where to start. can you guys reccomend me some yt channels or some free courses or some other way to learn the computational physics.
Back
Top