Theoretical vs Experimental Physics -- which is more glamorous?

[Lost bird]

I am worried that I am passionate about physics and yearn for a career in physics(through theoretical physics), and by a career I mean a placement in a prestigious institute and then be part of leading physics, but would that require sacrificing my entire 20s and even 30s or can I can get all that and earn a decent amount of money, and by decent I mean I can afford an international holiday at least once in 2 years, support a family of 4 people including me, also, is experimental physics easier and pays better than theoretical, I really am passionate but I want to live a full life, I should be able to go on holidays, spent time with family, buy what an above average person can afford and also follow my hobby(film making).

 

[Vanadium 50]

Wow. Can you diagram that single sentence please? I can't even find the question there, and if you are talking about experimental or theoretical in the body of the text.

 

[berkeman]

Wow. Can you diagram that single sentence please?

Here you go!

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fa/51/f4/...f816c4c--love-sentences-complex-sentences.jpg

 

[Choppy]

I'm not sure that the "theoretical/experimental" dichotomy is what you think it is.

When you reach a point in your academic career when you need to branch off, usually the decision is not "experimental" or "theoretical" but a question of which sub-field of physics you want to specialize in for your graduate work. And the career-employment options tend to be much more a function of that decision. For example, because medical physics tends to be more of a professional discipline, there tend to be a lot more direct field-related jobs as compared to say someone who went into astrophysics and studied galactic collisions through computer simulations (though if that latter person developed strong programming skills there are likely many tangential job opportunities).

The financial reality of academia isn't great, but it's not horrible, either. Lots of people manage to support families, and even go on vacations as post-docs. (Sometimes you can even combine the two by vacationing after you attend a conference.) Usually the biggest problem is that the more specialized you get, the less job options you have in that area. And so, while there may be *something* available, as a post-doc you might have to move to a different city and drag your family with you.

And you don't have statistics in your corner. If on average a professor trains ~ 10 PhDs over his or her career, only one will replace that professor at retirement. There may be some growth over that timespan, but the reality is that most PhDs will leave academia.

 

[Marisa5]

I am worried that I am passionate about physics and yearn for a career in physics(through theoretical physics), and by a career I mean a placement in a prestigious institute and then be part of leading physics, but would that require sacrificing my entire 20s and even 30s or can I can get all that and earn a decent amount of money, and by decent I mean I can afford an international holiday at least once in 2 years, support a family of 4 people including me, also, is experimental physics easier and pays better than theoretical, I really am passionate but I want to live a full life, I should be able to go on holidays, spent time with family, buy what an above average person can afford and also follow my hobby(film making).

Before you grapple with what your physics path might be, you should grapple with some sentence and thought structure in your conversational anatomy.

<3

 

[Dr Transport]

OK. I'll dive in, I'm going on vacation the rest of the week and got nothing to loose.

... prestigious institute and then be part of leading physics...

Not many of them across the planet, post-doc there is a possibility, regular appointment limited to maybe the top 50 theoreticians in the world.

...sacrificing my entire 20s and even 30s...

pretty much a given, plan on at least two post-docs and graduate school, which is taking more and more time.

...earn a decent amount of money, and by decent I mean I can afford an international holiday at least once in 2 years, support a family of 4 people including me...

What do you mean decent amount of money, international travel isn't cheap, if you plan on that, then plan on going without things between vacations, faculty salaries aren't exactly generous, if you can actually get a faculty position and tenure down the road. Try saving or paying for a house and a vacation, it isn't easy, I make 6 figures but because of where I work, where my family lives (which is not where I work) and how much I have to pay for college for one of my kids, I'm lucky if I can afford a short trip back to see my wife and kids once a month and we have taken only one vacation (not international) in the past 4 years.

... support a family of 4 people including me...

all in how you live, little ones are expensive and it doesn't get any cheaper as they get older.

...is experimental physics easier and pays better than theoretical,...

I don't think I have ever seen experimental vs theoretical salaries, so that isn't really a question that can be answered.

...I really am passionate but I want to live a full life, I should be able to go on holidays, spent time with family, buy what an above average person can afford and also follow my hobby(film making)...

you have to have hobbies, but if they interfere with your career, then you need to think about what your career is...

 

[Lost bird]

Oh man there is a whole lot of things I didn't even know I should consider, I am too young for that(I am 18), I think for now I should just focus on getting admission into a good college(I'll be applying for Oxford too, pray for me) and not get tensed about starting a family and buying a house, I'll just do bachelors in physics first and then think about those things, otherwise I'll start panicking. Thanks for all the help. And about that "diagramming the sentence" thing, pardon me I just right lavishly sometimes :), probably something I need to improve before writing my personal statement.

 

[DaveE]

I'll just do bachelors in physics first and then think about those things...

If you love physics, then this is a great plan. You will have plenty of time in the next couple of years to think about this and in the process you will learn more about the field, your options, and what you really love. When I started as an undergrad at Caltech about 90% of the students come in sure that they wanted to study Math or Physics; but they graduate in a diverse range of fields: Physics, Astronomy, Chemical Engineering, Geology, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, etc.

I just right lavishly sometimes :), probably something I need to improve before writing my personal statement.

Also a good idea. Clear communication is very important in any advanced field of study, as is attention to detail. Most technical fields don't really want you to right (sic) lavishly.

 

[ZapperZ]

I want to go back to what I think is the "hidden" issue here, and that relates to the topic that you chose for this thread:

Theoretical vs Experimental Physics -- which is more glamorous?

Answer: Neither.

In fact, if your intention of doing physics is for the prestige, glamor, fame, fortune, etc..., then you will be sadly disappointed, and your chances diminish even more, because you are doing it for the wrong reason. Physics is too difficult and too demanding to do for such wrong reasons, and you will get discouraged very easily.

But not only that, I will put it to you that you really have no accurate idea yet of what is meant by "theoretical physics" and "experimental physics". So how can you even decide on something that you only have a superficial idea of at this stage?

Zz.

 

[jtbell]

Both theoretical and experimental physicists have won Nobel Prizes, which is about as "glamorous" as it gets in physics.

 

[Lost bird]

<Moderator's note: following post merged to this thread.>

Will I have better career option at the end of Bachelors if I do general physics or theoretical physics? my first choice used to be theoretical physics because theoretical physics was my prime motivation to develop extreme passion for physics but now I see other very exciting fields also like quantum computing with an enormous scope of growth in the upcoming decades unlike core theoretical physics like general relativity which is a relatively slow field, and I also believe that after doing my bachelors I'll get exposed to more fields than I know right now and would probably have a different decision than what I think I should do for masters right now.

 

[alan2]

You should realize that if you earn a PhD and land an academic job you will probably make twice the median income. Realize that very few people land “prestigious” jobs. Every state university in the US is staffed by people who graduated from prestigious universities but couldn’t get hired by prestigious universities. There are a lot more graduates than job openings at those places so you’ll probably end up teaching a lot of intro physics lectures, for most people it’s not what they imagined.

 

[CrysPhys]

<Moderator's note: following post merged to this thread.>

Will I have better career option at the end of Bachelors if I do general physics or theoretical physics? my first choice used to be theoretical physics because theoretical physics was my prime motivation to develop extreme passion for physics but now I see other very exciting fields also like quantum computing with an enormous scope of growth in the upcoming decades unlike core theoretical physics like general relativity which is a relatively slow field, and I also believe that after doing my bachelors I'll get exposed to more fields than I know right now and would probably have a different decision than what I think I should do for masters right now.

In another thread, you identified yourself as a high school student in India. It would be helpful for you to post links describing programs for a BS in what you call "general physics" vs "theoretical physics". I'm not familiar with any such programs in the US. Here, you typically get a BS in "physics". Some universities offer a BS in "applied physics" or "engineering physics".

 

[Zap]

If you are in the states, I would recommend getting an associates degree in MRI technology, or something applicable. Something that doesn't suck your time and money away and gives you a really good job. Why not think about a specific career instead of what your major will be in school.

 

[symbolipoint]

I am worried that I am passionate about physics and yearn for a career in physics(through theoretical physics), and by a career I mean a placement in a prestigious institute and then be part of leading physics, but would that require sacrificing my entire 20s and even 30s or can I can get all that and earn a decent amount of money, and by decent I mean I can afford an international holiday at least once in 2 years, support a family of 4 people including me, also, is experimental physics easier and pays better than theoretical, I really am passionate but I want to live a full life, I should be able to go on holidays, spent time with family, buy what an above average person can afford and also follow my hobby(film making).

The right choice is not between Theoretical and Experimental Physics in order to find glory. The right choice is combine a degree in SOMETHING practical with at least some Physics. You could take your chances trying to earn an undergraduate degree in Physics, hopefully to do well and move onto a graduate degree in Physics. Even along the way in undegrad level, you MUST learn something from Engineering and Computer Science/Programming. The better pathways for future employment would be, major degree in Engineering, and any other useful coursework in computer technology/science/programming and whatever physics you can handle beyond the standard requirements for your Engineering or C.S. degree.

You asked about how to achieve a glorious position in Physics at a prestigious place. My basic advice is find a path (either in Engineering or some applied science) for being able to find a good job.

 

[symbolipoint]

Lost Bird,
I almost missed your point.
You can work toward earning an undergraduate degree in Physics, and some important electives to include to be able to prepare for who-knows-exactly-what employment positions would be from Engineering, computer Science/Programming, and other physical sciences (or any practical sciences).