Is returning to school sensible for me?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the considerations and motivations for returning to school to pursue a degree in physics. Participants explore the implications of a career change, the emotional and practical aspects of further education, and the potential impact on future career opportunities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to explore a career change into physics, motivated by emotional inclinations and a lack of experience in the field.
  • Concerns are raised about the time commitment required for education and the importance of making informed decisions rather than following industry clichés.
  • Another participant questions the necessity of returning to school, asking what specific problem the original poster aims to address with this change.
  • There are reflections on the impact of previous academic performance on future educational opportunities, particularly regarding GPA and competitiveness for graduate programs.
  • One participant shares feelings of passivity in their current career and expresses a desire for personal growth and satisfaction through pursuing bold goals.
  • A later reply suggests that returning to school may not resolve feelings of passivity and questions the effectiveness of such a significant investment in education.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit a mix of agreement and disagreement. While some acknowledge the desire for personal growth through education, others challenge the effectiveness of returning to school as a solution to underlying concerns about career satisfaction and direction.

Contextual Notes

Participants discuss various personal experiences and concerns regarding academic performance, career satisfaction, and the implications of pursuing further education without reaching a consensus on the best course of action.

  • #31
CrysPhys said:
As Eliza Doolittle sang,
The rain in Maine falls mainly down the drain. Or something. (Vein? Brain? Ptomaine?)

If we are going to discuss My Fair Lady, there is also Wouldn't It Be Loverly. What I am hearing is an attraction to the idea of physics, and the reality might or might not match the idea. It is good advice to take a class or two and see how that goes before committing to a multi-year path.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #32
Vanadium 50 said:
If we are going to discuss My Fair Lady, there is also Wouldn't It Be Loverly.
That song is also on point for my point. Eliza doesn't express some vague notion of an idyllic life in paradise. She rattles off a list of specific concrete items that would make her happy:

"All I want is a room somewhere
Far away from the cold night air
With one enormous chair
Oh, wouldn't it be loverly?

Lots of chocolate for me to eat
Lots of coal makin' lots of heat
Warm face, warm hands, warm feet
Oh, wouldn't it be loverly?
---
Someone's head restin' on my knee
Warm and tender as he can be
Who takes good care of me
Oh, wouldn't it be loverly
Loverly, loverly, loverly, loverly ..."

We can then evaluate whether those items are realistic to obtain.
 
Last edited:
  • #33
I'm so confused. We're allowed to discuss Alan Lerner on PF, but not Eric Lerner, right? :wink:
 
  • #34
Vanadium 50 said:
I'm so confused. We're allowed to discuss Alan Lerner on PF, but not Eric Lerner, right? :wink:
One could argue that Alan made a big bang in his field of endeavor; whereas, Eric, by his own admission, did not. Also, poor Eliza has yet to warm herself with a plasma fusion source.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
4K
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
4K
  • · Replies 62 ·
3
Replies
62
Views
10K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
4K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
5K
Replies
17
Views
4K