- #1
QFP
Undergrad with about a year and a half of school left here! The looming spectre of the real world has come with the realization that I do not know anywhere near enough of physics and math to satisfy me. I love math, I want more than anything to understand and do work that involves computers at their most basic level and I love applying my knowledge to solve problems a la physics. I'm also a huge scifi/fantasy buff so I've got a bit of an active imagination that motivates and inspires me to work on futuristic stuff, mostly with regards to advanced materials because I view that as the foundation of the sorts of crazy engineering feats that I dream about humanity being able to do one day.
I really like the idea of having to use my knowledge of physics and computer hardware to develop and optimize computer simulations related to advanced materials research and from what I've read Computational Physics seems right up my alley. However, I want to make sure that I make a sound decision that will bring me a fulfilling career so I thought I would ask some questions to make sure that I'm not stepping unknowingly into an adders nest.
My two main fears are that pursuing a Ph.D in Computational Physics would leave me too specialized and thus susceptible to a potentially poor job market in my chosen field and unable to find work in a different one and also that the degree might be too narrow in its focus on the computational side of things and not on the physical and mathematical side of things.
I really like the idea of having to use my knowledge of physics and computer hardware to develop and optimize computer simulations related to advanced materials research and from what I've read Computational Physics seems right up my alley. However, I want to make sure that I make a sound decision that will bring me a fulfilling career so I thought I would ask some questions to make sure that I'm not stepping unknowingly into an adders nest.
My two main fears are that pursuing a Ph.D in Computational Physics would leave me too specialized and thus susceptible to a potentially poor job market in my chosen field and unable to find work in a different one and also that the degree might be too narrow in its focus on the computational side of things and not on the physical and mathematical side of things.