How does one become a nuclear physicist? (go ahead laugh it up im used to it)

[Luongo]

Every time i mention atomic science as an area of study everyone goes HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Yeah well stanton friedman had to have started somewhere, i don't care what others think, i will study 24/7 until I'm 70 if i have to i am interested in this topic and nuclear physicists are ALL that matters once WW III comes out. there will only be nuclear scientists, dictators and everyone else will be civillians. because the next war will be one for the books. but seriously get all the AHAHAHA out of your system and if anyone is willing to be serious about this I'm willing to talk about it, and yes i know the odds of becoming a sucessful nuclear physicist. I'm aware of everything, does anyone on here have any backround in this subject? thanks.

 

[kellenhockey6]

From my personal experiences, being one semester away from graduation with a degree in nuclear engineering, I would recommend you research undergraduate physics programs and get into the best program you can. To have a major impact in a field like Nuclear Physics you will likely need education (Masters, PHD) beyond a general bachelors degree. Therefore, I would recommend your first focus be in getting the best grades possible in a more general physics education then pursue the more "nuclear" side of things in graduate school. A second possibility would be to attend a university that offers nuclear engineering as a major and supplement your undergraduate physics curriculum with some nukeE classes.

 

[Winzer]

Go to uni with nuke program---->Obtain B.S.(in physics)--->Goto grad school for nuke program---->obtain PHD in nuke physics

See, not so hard.

 

[Vanadium 50]

As a nuclear physicist a lot of your time will be spent communicating with other physicists. It would be valuable to spend the intervening time working on that - punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, etc.

 

[EternityMech]

To become a nuclear physicist do you have to become a engineer first?

 

[Luongo]

As a nuclear physicist a lot of your time will be spent communicating with other physicists. It would be valuable to spend the intervening time working on that - punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, etc.

Hey, I take offense to that. Is this better for you?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Hey, I take offense to that.

Sorry to hear that. It's hardly my fault that you choose to write that way, though. And make no mistake, it is an impediment to your goals.

If you take offense any time someone points out an impediment to your goals, don't expect to get very far.

 

[Defennder]

What's the difference between nuclear physics and nuclear engineering? Just the standard practical/theory distinction?

 

[HallsofIvy]

Basically, yes. A "nuclear engineer" is an engineer, typically with an engineering degree, who works at a nuclear power plant. A "nuclear physicist" is a scientist with a degree in physics who may work at a nuclear power plant or other type of company but more likely at a University.

 

[fasterthanjoao]

I'm baffled by the tone of this post, just, what?

This forum exists because knowledgeable are happy to share experience and advice with those who look for it. If you've ever visted PF before, or read any of the threads here, you'll know there's never a "HAHAHAHAHAH", as you put it, reaction to any serious questions. I'm puzzled where you might have received such a response - there isn't anything special about being a 'nuclear physicist' - it's simply one of the many branches of physics. I don't see why you seem to think that nuclear physics is on some higher-only-einstein-could-achieve-it plane, but the fact that you're both hinting at that and acting as if it's the only thing you'd ever consider doing means there's some things you need to consider.

Where are you in the education system at the moment? No matter how attractive some things in popular science etc. may seem to be, it's wise to always keep your options open - don't close opinions too early, otherwise you'll come to reject certain fields that you may have enjoyed for no good reason.

Of course it's a good idea to follow things that you think are enjoyable, but only when you have an understanding of what's actually involved in these areas is it sensible to decide to devote all of your time to it. Lastly, I don't believe you really asked any questions in the opening most, it seemed like more of a silly rant. If you have any actual questions, go ahead and ask.