Need help in making correct decision

[deependra singh]

I am an 18 year old boy living In India and will complete my BSc next year...I m particularly interested in physics and want to get higher degrees in it but I am a bit hesitate in choosing PhD after MSc... Will it be good for my career if I spend 5 years in getting PhD? Or any other options after getting MSc?

 

[micromass]

What do you want your career to be? What are your plans later? What about possible plan B's?

 

[Choppy]

If you're serious about seeking a career in physics, then you should be aiming for a PhD. The field is very competitive though and as Micromass suggested having an alternative plan is a good idea.

 

[micromass]

Also, contrary to what some people not familiar to physics think, a lot of physics isn't theoretical physics. There's a lot of experimental and computational stuff going on. If you enjoy electrical stuff, then there is definitely a place in experimental physics that could combine the love of physics and electrical engineering.
Also, many things you study in experimental physics are actually useful in industry. So if you learn how to do technique A or work with apparatus B, then a certain part of industry might consider this a reason to hire you. Remember: if you know something useful that only a few people know, that is an advantage.

 

[deependra singh]

I want to make career in physics but don't want to teach later...just worrying about jobs available in scientific fields...

 

[micromass]

Were the above replies that unhelpful?? You kind of ignored everything we said! Nobody even mentioned teaching...

 

[deependra singh]

Oh ...I m sorry...I didn't ignore them...they were very helpful...but I m totally confused that I don't know either I like experimental field or not...so much as I know theoretical physicist has to teach to earn money...

 

[micromass]

so much as I know theoretical physicist has to teach to earn money...

That is definitely not true, but
1) Keep a back-up plan ready: take programming courses, do internships, etc.
2) Don't specialize too much in a very narrow domain in undergrad.
I'll leave it up to you to search for job possibilities after bachelor/master/PhD physics. Search for some and see if you like some. As a hint, most university departments keep some kind of record of where their alumni ended up.

 

[deependra singh]

Thank u so much for ur advice...job options are things what I m worried about...can you please suggest me a way to check my interest in experimental physics? As I heard that experimental physicist has more job options, is it true?

 

[ZapperZ]

There is an important element being neglected here, and it has not be adequately clarified.

Where do you think you want to pursue your career? Are you planning on staying in India?

Where you end up will dictate very strongly on the kind of career you will have the opportunity to pursue. Even a physics Nobel Laureate will have a limited employment availability in, say, Somalia, when compared to the UK! You can study as hard as you can, and achieve the best results that you can. But if there are simply no available jobs in your area of expertise at your location, you won't be able to pursue the career that you envisioned.

So if you are planning on staying in India, ask around on the kind of jobs that physics graduates in general will tend to get. I hate to give you a rose picture of jobs in experimental physics, etc. when such a scenario only applies to where I live and is completely useless to you.

Zz.

 

[Vanadium 50]

What you need to start doing now is writing correct English. "U" and "ur" are not. Sentences start with capital letters and end with one period. This will matter with any career in which communication is done in English.