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Science Education and Careers
STEM Academic Advising
Mechanical Engineering (BS) Vs. Pursuing Physics PhD
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[QUOTE="romsofia, post: 6064889, member: 243887"] Usually when I see these posts, I'm more optimistic for them, however these two lines: "Opportunity cost of PhD. I'll lose a great deal of money I could make and invest in my 20's. Could achieve the same R&D/research jobs with an engineering bachelors. OR, could find my niche in engineering and have a company pay for my masters instead of going through 10+ years of school for PhD" then even in your OP, you made a wise choice going to a CC, but once again it was for money, and you disregarded the benefit of networking at a bigger university. (I'm glad it worked out though, so congratulations on making a connection at your current location!) Even here you chose money over networking. To get a good job, as your adviser said, you need to know the right people. You had the opportunity earlier, but went "Woah, this might be more expensive later on... let me go to a cheaper place..." But why didn't you just do that from the start? Obviously money means a lot to you, and you think about it enough to have switched. With that in mind, here is my advice: Don't get a physics PhD! Below is my reasoning why. The fact that you're weighing out opportunity costs now is a bad sign. PhDs, in general, are VERY stressful depending on the lab you go into, and you already have that added baggage that you'll be missing out on money. What will happen when you reach a wall in your research, then come to the realization that you're putting in more hours than a person managing a gas station, and making less money than them after all these years of education? Will you give up and get your terminal masters? Who knows. You really have to LOVE physics to do this, and I'm saying this for us average folks (if you're a genius, then don't heed my advice). Study the physics on your own, you know the faster route to get what you want: money. Two lines of your "worries" revolve around money, and the things you talk about loving aren't restricted to physics. Do the engineering. You'll have "ah-ha" moments, there is theory, and the opportunity for money is more immediate. Good luck, it seems you'll be successful in whatever path you take. [/QUOTE]
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Mechanical Engineering (BS) Vs. Pursuing Physics PhD
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