The discussion centers on job prospects in scientific computing, specifically within computational physics and computational biology. Participants emphasize the importance of developing marketable skills such as programming fluency, large data set management, and mathematical modeling, as these will enhance employability in both industry and research settings. The consensus is that while academic positions are rare, opportunities exist in specialized industries, particularly in bioinformatics and geophysics, with companies like ANSYS and COMSOL being notable employers. Flexibility in job type and location is crucial for securing employment in these fields.
PREREQUISITESStudents and professionals in scientific computing, particularly those interested in computational physics and biology, as well as individuals seeking to enhance their employability in research or industry settings.
Dr.D said:I certainly do not know the answer to your question, but I would observe that, to a large extent, we make our own opportunities. Do which ever one excites you the most, be good at it, and the work will come.
Dr.D said:You are not employed by the statistics, but rather by a single, specific employer. Even if there is only one job available in the entire universe, if you get it, that should be good enough. To get that one job, you probably have to be (1) the best candidate, and (2) aggressive in seeking the job.
Choppy said:It's difficult to say because both fields are fairly broad, and I think a lot will come down to the specific skills that you develop rather than the specific sub-field you work in.
Choppy said:It's probably safe to assume that regardless of which field you choose you won't end up in academia. That's not to say an academic position is impossible, just that they're hard to come by these days - statistically speaking. So you're much more likely to end up eventually leaving academia. From that perspective, programming skills, programming language fluency, learning how to work with large data sets, parallel processing techniques, mathematical modelling, learning how to properly document code, etc. are going to be highly marketable skills that will help you to transition out of academia and keep you employed in the long term.
quantknight said:Thank you. Since you mentioned both are broad branches, I have narrowed down my interests into the following sub fields, computational physics - electromagnetism & geophysics, computational biology - neurosciences, biophysics, and bioinformatics. I will pursue the one whichever is feasible to me. So is it possible to get a job in industry or research in these sub fields?
Frankly speaking, I have already worked in a corporate company, and I don't want to end up in a corporate job again just for the programming skills . I am pretty much interested in science and that's the reason I want to pursue the master's degree. I would like to work in the job where I would use the skills at least relevant to the science field (not some banking or software product). If there are no jobs available, I would pursue research on the topics (teaching is also okay for me). So would it be a mistake to to join a computational science degree and don't want to end up in a corporate job irrelevant to the science field?
StatGuy2000 said:I suppose you need to clarify what you mean by a "corporate job". Would you be fine working, say, for a software company specializing in, say, tools for bioinformatics/genomic analysis? Or a company specializing in developing remote sensing software for geophysics?
quantknight said:Thank you. As long as I work related to the field I studied, I am fine with this corporate job then. What I meant was that I have no interest in the domains of software products, banking products, kind of jobs. May I know what is the name of the particular industry? or few company names would suffice.
Thank you.clope023 said:ANSYS
COMSOL