So you want to get a PhD in physics? The video

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a video related to pursuing a PhD in physics, with participants sharing their reactions, experiences, and opinions on the challenges and perceptions associated with graduate studies in physics, particularly in fields like cosmology and string theory.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express amusement and appreciation for the video, noting its humor and relatability to the experiences of graduate students.
  • Others question the portrayal of PhD pursuits in physics as primarily leading to postdoctoral positions, suggesting that there are alternative career paths in industry.
  • A few participants highlight the unrealistic expectations some aspiring physicists may have regarding tenure-track positions in academia.
  • One participant defends the pursuit of ambitious academic goals, arguing that talent and hard work can lead to success in competitive fields like string theory and cosmology.
  • Concerns are raised about the difficulty of obtaining postdoctoral positions, with some suggesting that only those with exceptional backgrounds may succeed in academia.
  • Several participants share personal anecdotes and experiences related to their academic journeys and aspirations in physics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a mix of agreement and disagreement regarding the challenges of pursuing a PhD in physics. While some find the video humorous and relatable, others challenge its implications about career prospects and the nature of academic pursuits.

Contextual Notes

There are varying assumptions about the job market for physics PhDs, the nature of postdoctoral positions, and the expectations of aspiring physicists, which remain unresolved within the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals considering a PhD in physics, current graduate students, and those interested in the academic and career trajectories in STEM fields may find this discussion relevant.

eri
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OK, 'fess up. Which one of you made this?



I'm sending it around to the other grad students in my program.
 
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This is amazing!
 
Is the dialog from a PF thread? It sounds so familiar.
 
oMFG THIS SOUNDS LIKE ALL FIRST POSTS. Like literally, it's the same thing.
 
The one for the humanities is far more depressing.
 
I'll never understand why doing a PhD in physics is synonymous with doing cosmology or string theory and then doing post docs for the rest of your life because you can't get a tenure track position.
 
That's so awesome.
 
LAWLS "I'm 32 and I haven't seen my adviser in 3 years"

I'm sad now.
 
LAWLS the "So you want to be a humanities PhD" is the funniest thing ever! These are all wonderful...
 
  • #10
ROFL HAHAHAHHA! :smile:
 
  • #11
Fantastic...absolutely fantastic!
 
  • #12
That was GREAT! Everyone should have to watch this and the humanities one before joining PF.
 
  • #13
Fantastic video ! I'm also interested in string theory LOL
 
  • #14
Great video!

And the video was a little inaccurate about the number of jobs in academia. The good news is that there are more than five jobs available. The bad news is that the real number is around 15-20.

Here they all are..

http://cdm.berkeley.edu/doku.php?id=astrojobs10/
 
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  • #15
Phyisab**** said:
I'll never understand why doing a PhD in physics is synonymous with doing cosmology or string theory and then doing post docs for the rest of your life because you can't get a tenure track position.

Doesn't matter much, because you'll be in post-doc hell regardless of what type of physics you go into.

The good news is that you won't be doing post-docs for the rest of your life. The bad news is that the reason you won't be doing post-docs for the rest of your life is that after the second one, you are not likely to get a third, and you certainly will not be getting a fourth. If you are totally desperate to stay in academia, then at that point you are teaching community college and making less money than a plumber.
 
  • #17
twofish-quant said:
Doesn't matter much, because you'll be in post-doc hell regardless of what type of physics you go into.

The good news is that you won't be doing post-docs for the rest of your life. The bad news is that the reason you won't be doing post-docs for the rest of your life is that after the second one, you are not likely to get a third, and you certainly will not be getting a fourth. If you are totally desperate to stay in academia, then at that point you are teaching community college and making less money than a plumber.

What I mean is that I personally know many successful physics PhD's who are employed in industry. I'm pretty sure most of them didn't do more than one post-doc, if that. Physics PhD's are very employable at high tech Fortune 500 companies. If I were to do a PhD it would be in hopes of getting a job like that, not with some pipe dream of being a professor at Princeton.

In my opinion, this video is attacking a strange, unrealistic perception of what a PhD in physics is for. It is funny only in the way it mocks the 15 year olds who routinely post here about how their dream is to study string theory.
 
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  • #18
Phyisab**** said:
In my opinion, this video is attacking a strange, unrealistic perception of what a PhD in physics is for. It is funny only in the way it mocks the 15 year olds who routinely post here about how their dream is to study string theory.

An unrealistic perception that a large number of posters in this sub-forum tend to have. In my opinion, its best to knock these folks down a little bit. Thats a whole other thread though...

I like the video! Made me giggle a bit. Now on to the humanities
 
  • #19
Great video, EXCEPT WHY DOES THE WOMAN HAVE A MAN'S VOICE?
 
  • #20
I think additional voices cost some $. There are a bunch of these types of videos on Youtube mocking different fields and professions.

So far, I have seen videos mocking economics, political science, theoretical computer science, film, law school, humanities, and business school.
 
  • #21
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  • #22
Guys, i am going to stand up for the minority here and say wtf is wrong with going for your dream. Some of us might be talented enough to land a tenure track position in string theory/cosmology and so on. If i wanted a boring job i would become an accountant.

Are postdocs really that hard to get?

My dream is to get a bs (mathematical physics) masters (cambridge tripos part 3 with distinction) PHD (DAMTP), professorship princeton (Institute of Advanced study)... is it really that unrealistic?
 
  • #23
Philosopher_k said:
Guys, i am going to stand up for the minority here and say wtf is wrong with going for your dream. Some of us might be talented enough to land a tenure track position in string theory/cosmology and so on. If i wanted a boring job i would become an accountant.

Are postdocs really that hard to get?

My dream is to get a bs (mathematical physics) masters (cambridge tripos part 3 with distinction) PHD (DAMTP), professorship princeton (Institute of Advanced study)... is it really that unrealistic?
Yes, they really are that hard to get. The people who end up in String Theory/Cosmology research positions were thinking about black hole collisions when they were 4 years old.

Did you skip 3 grades and get 100% on every exam in Math/Physics you took in High School? Were you also a robohuman created at MIT during the 1990s so now you are old enough to start taking a degree at Harvard? If so then you will end up in the next generation of String Theory/Cosmology research positions.
 
  • #24
Caramon. I don't care how hard i have to work. I am going down the string theory/ Cosmology track. I was not being serious about those exact goals, but i would enjoy some form of theoretical physics. I bet your just bitter because your some programming monkey.
 
  • #25
Also take Leonard susskind for example. He started off as a plumber before going to engineering school and then changing to physics.

Or Edward Witten who was a history major at college.

You don't need to start at the age of 10 to contribute anything meaningful.
 
  • #26
He's just kidding around, Roger Penrose couldn't finish his Mathematics tests in elementary school and high school.
 
  • #27
No, I'm not some programming monkey. I'm currently taking a Bsc Honours in Astrophysics at the University of Alberta. I'm doing extremely hard courses (at least from my perspective, as I am currently an undergraduate idiot that has never done any real research) and I realize that despite having a 3.6 GPA having taken Upper-division topology, 6 astrophysics courses, A+ in all Calculus courses, etc. that I am still too damn retarded to be able to be a professor at Princeton or be a scientific researcher at CERN.

If I'm extremely lucky and end up getting up accepted into what I consider the top-tier graduate schools:
I'll be done going to caltech or penn state for 4 years on 3 hours of sleep a night. After which I've researched my life away to publish my dissertation in some "narrow-narrow subfield" that no body really cares about so I can hope to somehow get observing time at the Keck telescope or work at the VLT for the rest of my life while publishing the most "impressive" papers possible so that someone takes me seriously and gives me some real telescope time.

...which they won't.

But I'm willing to try, and you should too. Because I love this stuff, and you should too.
 
  • #28
Philosopher_k said:
My dream is to get a bs (mathematical physics) masters (cambridge tripos part 3 with distinction) PHD (DAMTP), professorship princeton (Institute of Advanced study)... is it really that unrealistic?
In a nutshell, yes. The odds are against you in many ways. You are in essence claiming that you are in the top 99.99999% or so of the population in terms of intelligence. I don't know you, so I might be wrong, but the odds are 9,999,999:1 against that you are not one in ten million type person in terms of intelligence, perspicacity, and persistence. Even if you are, the odds are still against you. There simply aren't that many tenured theoretical astrophysics chairs around.

There is nothing wrong with getting a lowly bachelors degree and getting a job in industry or the government. You can do better, of course. You can get an advanced degree and then get a job. If you do beat the odds add get a teaching or research position in academia with your PhD in physics, it will not be with Princeton. You will need get a postdoc, then prove yourself as assistant professor.
 
  • #29
I'm not trying to discourage you, I don't think anyone is. It's just... please realize you'll be in for a very very tough (and long) ride.
 
  • #30
Caramon said:
No, I'm not some programming monkey. I'm currently taking a Bsc Honours in Astrophysics at the University of Alberta. I'm doing extremely hard courses (at least from my perspective, as I am currently an undergraduate idiot that has never done any real research) and I realize that despite having a 3.6 GPA having taken Upper-division topology, 6 astrophysics courses, A+ in all Calculus courses, etc. that I am still too damn retarded to be able to be a professor at Princeton or be a scientific researcher at CERN.

If I'm extremely lucky and end up getting up accepted into what I consider the top-tier graduate schools:
I'll be done going to caltech or penn state for 4 years on 3 hours of sleep a night. After which I've researched my life away to publish my dissertation in some "narrow-narrow subfield" that no body really cares about so I can hope to somehow get observing time at the Keck telescope or work at the VLT for the rest of my life while publishing the most "impressive" papers possible so that someone takes me seriously and gives me some real telescope time.

...which they won't.

But I'm willing to try, and you should too. Because I love this stuff, and you should too.

I am sorry for being slightly condescending. But you never know you or i might be the guys that revolutinize 21st century physics! Even if as D H said the chances are against us, you never know. Your right about the love of the subject.

As for you D H. You will be eating your words when i work at the institute of advanced study with a fields medal around my neck :smile:
 

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