Should I Switch Majors or Schools to Secure a Better Future?

[micromass]

In the US, a BSc can be a terminal degree. After your BSc (which typically lasts 4 years), you can opt to go to grad school or to get a MSc. But it is also acceptable to leave academia altogether. This is in comparison to Europe, where everybody is expected to do a Masters and where quitting at your bachelors is much less acceptable.

 

[atyy]

In the US, a BSc can be a terminal degree. After your BSc (which typically lasts 4 years), you can opt to go to grad school or to get a MSc. But it is also acceptable to leave academia altogether. This is in comparison to Europe, where everybody is expected to do a Masters and where quitting at your bachelors is much less acceptable.

I'm not sure I understand Almeisan correctly, but I think what he is saying is similar in spirit to the APS recommendations for a dual degree. I don't think there are recommendations that if one does an engineering degree that one should also do a physics BS to get a good job. On the other hand, among the APS recommendations are that one does something in addition to the physics BS to get a good job - in that sense, the physics degree is only a terminal degree in name, not de facto.

 

[PhotonSSBM]

So yeah, if you end up with a math PhD and essentially no useful skills, then I'm sure you'll land a nice job, but it might not be the job you really enjoy doing or the job you really wanted.

This. A thousand times this.

People don't understand how true this is in every field. Even at an associates level like nursing (which I was in for 4 years), people get the work done in school, graduate, and assume that their degree entitles them to a job in a top tier hospital with no experience outside of clinicals. This mentality is everywhere, and it stems from the idea that you should put all your eggs in one basket, have no contemplation about backup plans or worst case scenarios and just assume that you'll be fine when school is over. I think that's what happened to the OP. He liked physics, didn't think about what would happen if it went downhill, and now he's in panic mode.

I think the same thing happens to a lot of people (definitely some people in this thread). I think homeomorphic's philosophy behind his posts are good. He knows what it's like to think you're going to get something successful going with something you love, and have reality hit you in the face, and he's just trying to let people know that it can happen. May not happen to everyone, may not even happen to most, but it happens, and more people need to be prepared for it. If you're a student and not thinking to yourself, "what would I like to do that's not this that I can learn at the same time?" you need to start right now.

To the OP, if you've somehow muddled through this, diversify your skill sets however you can. Take CS courses, learn programming on your own, find a job while you're in college, talk to your adviser and the people you love and figure something out.

 

[homeomorphic]

Almeisan, you did indeed mis-characterize my opinions again while I was gone. You claimed that I was accusing all people who want a physics PhD of playing a lottery because they all want to be professors. In fact, you added your own interpretation to what I said. So, as I said, you have an imaginary version of me in your head that is saying tons of stuff that I never said. The fact that becoming a prof is a lottery doesn't mean that people can't just go to grad school because they enjoy it, even though they know they probably won't become a professor. There's nothing wrong with deciding to do that if you have really thought it through. So, cut it out with the assumptions. Every time you read anything I wrote, just keep in mind, you are filling in the gaps and any time you do that, you are probably wrong about my actual opinion.

To me, grad school (depending on what subject we're talking about exactly, etc.) is often not what I would consider to be a good deal. The pay is probably quite a bit less than market price for a college graduate, for one. It's like paying 50 dollars for a lamp that is worth 20. That's my assessment. But if someone else thinks that it is actually worth 60 dollars, then they can be my guest and buy it. All I'm saying is that I wouldn't buy that lamp if I were them. If they disagree, that's fine.

 

[homeomorphic]

One more thing to add is that I don't know that we were very careful about the stats and where they came from and what their scope is and all that, but I think it's okay for the purposes of discussion. Just wanted to point that out, but hopefully that will be it for this thread.

 

[Rika]

I can understand homeomorphic since I've had similar experience during my BSc in Physics. I enjoyed my studies but during my thesis it turned out that I was "chasing a mirage" because in the end I didn't like doing research. I don't like programming either so after graduation I was out of options. During my BSc I realized that I really want to work in gamedev but I wasn't skilled enough to land an interesting job in industry so I went back to art school. The point is I regret studying physics and not going to art school straight after high school. I've made a mistake and wasted several years - that can make you bitter.