- #1
ferm
- 34
- 2
Hi,
I am half way of a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics in an European university. I have started to worry about my future after learning how really difficult it is to get a position, how much do postdocs earn and how difficult it is for some to find a good job outside academy. The truth is that this worries are taking an increasing fraction of my time, so I would really like to ask you for some counseling from your experience.
So my first question would be: What kind of jobs would I be most likely to find if I quit the academic career? I am not doing much fancy programming, just some simple numerical calculations with Mathematica and Matlab, so I know I can't count on that. What job prospects does that leave to me?
Another worry I have is about age. Now I am 24, I will get my PhD in 2 or 3 years. I am unsure if after that I will go for a postdoc or directly to the job market. My impression is that the chances of getting good jobs decrease with age. Am I right?
I even considered the more dramatic option of dropping my PhD and changing to an applied PhD topic, but I am unsure if it is really worth to start again. I was top of the class during school, B.S. and M.Sc., but I find it difficult to succeed in theoretical physics and I often have this idea (maybe wrong) that I would be much more likely to succeed in another area. I like my research. In fact, I decided I would like to do particle physics when I was in high school, so I was just "following the track". But now I have the feeling I would be equally happy doing another thing, and that I would maybe be more successful and have better job prospects.
I would really appreciate your opinions. Thank you!
I am half way of a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics in an European university. I have started to worry about my future after learning how really difficult it is to get a position, how much do postdocs earn and how difficult it is for some to find a good job outside academy. The truth is that this worries are taking an increasing fraction of my time, so I would really like to ask you for some counseling from your experience.
So my first question would be: What kind of jobs would I be most likely to find if I quit the academic career? I am not doing much fancy programming, just some simple numerical calculations with Mathematica and Matlab, so I know I can't count on that. What job prospects does that leave to me?
Another worry I have is about age. Now I am 24, I will get my PhD in 2 or 3 years. I am unsure if after that I will go for a postdoc or directly to the job market. My impression is that the chances of getting good jobs decrease with age. Am I right?
I even considered the more dramatic option of dropping my PhD and changing to an applied PhD topic, but I am unsure if it is really worth to start again. I was top of the class during school, B.S. and M.Sc., but I find it difficult to succeed in theoretical physics and I often have this idea (maybe wrong) that I would be much more likely to succeed in another area. I like my research. In fact, I decided I would like to do particle physics when I was in high school, so I was just "following the track". But now I have the feeling I would be equally happy doing another thing, and that I would maybe be more successful and have better job prospects.
I would really appreciate your opinions. Thank you!