Physics majors -- was it what you expected?

[Schrodinger]

In short I need a degree for future job prospects. Most/many employers require a degree. Any degree. Even basket-weaving.

I've thought about them all, but the only one that really interests me is a physics degree. I've tried to find something redeeming in the other common majors (cs, engineering, business, liberal arts). I'd be lying if I said that I found any of them interesting enough to last 4-5 years.

I don't necessarily plan on a physics related career; I just want a degree that interests me.

To those physics majors: was it everything you had expected? Did you find it rewarding when you were finished?

 

[da loser]

why does engineering not interst you yet physics does?

 

[BigJ]

Well do you expect to do anything with the degree? If you're picking a degree just because you enjoy the topic, by all means go for it. I enjoy Math and CS and am trying to get a degree in both, and an eventual carreer, so I luck out. But I've heard you're relatively limited in what jobs you can get with a physics degree.

 

[TreyRandom]

I'm a Chemistry major with a Physics minor. I think I enjoyed the challenge more than anything. Theoretical Physics was too difficult - got a C. I don't think I was ready for it, nor did I have the time to invest like I should have.

To my dismay, I never got to use my degree for a Chemistry job. The only job I was offered was one where I would have to do nothing but wash out test tubes for $25,000 a year, and it's sorta difficult to prove your skills while washing test tubes. Do I regret taking Chemistry/Physics? Not at all.

 

[oneshot47]

Thats why im going physics and computer science...

 

[foofoo]

i was a physics major (but with a lot of engineering classes) and am now an engineer. but doing engineering for large accelerator based physics experiments. basically designing of large particle detector systems, multidisciplinary mechanical/electrical/computer.
it wasnt like i expected. i was good at physics but was better and found that i got more satisfaction from doing engineering. plus, if you are the most hardware oriented in your physics group, you end up doing all hardware and no physics. after a while i quit fighting it and decided that i was doing engineering and liking it and was now an engineer. career wise it's a completely different track. so it wasnt at all like i expected, i'm about as physics oriented as an engineer can be, but it didnt turn out like i expected.

 

[Preyhunter]

Phuck physics as a major. Get a management degree and get a physics minor if it interests you so much. Besides, you don't want to be a peon, you want to be the boss!

 

[Schrodinger]

Originally posted by: da loser
why does engineering not interst you yet physics does?

Physics degree is for interest. An engineering degree just seems too boring IMO. I've seen the curriculum many friends (engineer students) have. Some of is interesting. Lots isn't. Planning projects, this and that. Seems like too much bureaucracy and I'd rather just focus on learning and understanding a specific topic in depth. Sure engineers use physics--but only as a tool. I want to -understand- why and how things work in depth. Perhaps go further with graduate studies afterwards.

Don't take it the wrong way if you are an engineer. Hell, most people would flame physics

 

[marcello]

Originally posted by: Schrodinger
In short I need a degree for future job prospects. Most/many employers require a degree. Any degree. Even basket-weaving.

I've thought about them all, but the only one that really interests me is a physics degree. I've tried to find something redeeming in the other common majors (cs, engineering, business, liberal arts). I'd be lying if I said that I found any of them interesting enough to last 4-5 years.

I don't necessarily plan on a physics related career; I just want a degree that interests me.

To those physics majors: was it everything you had expected? Did you find it rewarding when you were finished?

If you're going to be a physics major be ready for an extremely difficult path. At least that's the way it was at our school. Physics is not easy, but I assume you already knew that

 

[Schrodinger]

Originally posted by: Preyhunter
Phuck physics as a major. Get a management degree and get a physics minor if it interests you so much. Besides, you don't want to be a peon, you want to be the boss!

I'd like to keep my soul

 

[AmbitV]

Tons of respect for physics majors. One of the most hardcore majors there is.

 

[silverpig]

*paging Heisenberg*

Physics/astro here. 4th year.

I really find it interesting yes. The first 2 years wasn't all that great just because it's laying down a lot of the math and levelling the playing field from what people learned in HS. 3rd and 4th year you get into some cool stuff.

More than class though, what I find most interesting are the talks that visiting professors give. We have an astro colliquium on Mondays and a physics colliquium on Thursdays. Experts from all around the world come and give a talk about their research area. That's the really cool stuff. The only downside is when I'm sitting at home trying to do an assignment and I'm thinking about some of the stuff from one of those talks...

 

[notfred]

I hope you also like calculus and chemistry.

 

[Heisenberg]

<---------- Has a B.S. in physics and is currently in grad school

It is a lot of work (there have been many a day when I wished we had a bridge in town to jump off of), but I think on the whole it's worth it. If you really want to understand things on the most fundamental level and not just make things work (no offense to the engineers) then physics is the way to go.

 

[Semidevil]

I mean, you can get a physics degree, and then get a different job, Actuary for example. Lots of jobs dont require "that" particular degree.....

heck, do "engineering physics..."

 

[Schrodinger]

Originally posted by: silverpig
*paging Heisenberg*

Physics/astro here. 4th year.

I really find it interesting yes. The first 2 years wasn't all that great just because it's laying down a lot of the math and levelling the playing field from what people learned in HS. 3rd and 4th year you get into some cool stuff.

More than class though, what I find most interesting are the talks that visiting professors give. We have an astro colliquium on Mondays and a physics colliquium on Thursdays. Experts from all around the world come and give a talk about their research area. That's the really cool stuff. The only downside is when I'm sitting at home trying to do an assignment and I'm thinking about some of the stuff from one of those talks...

Are you at UBC?

I'm aiming for UofT, Waterloo, Queens (in that order).

 

[arcas]

I was a physics major. And a CS major. And a math major. Did the grad school thing in physics for a while. Decided the job prospects for physicists were horrible (this was back in the mid 90s). After seeing a couple of my fellow grad students struggle for months to find jobs in the field, and after seeing what happens when the NSF fails to renew a professor's grant (hint: all the grad students on stipend from that professor suddenly have to find alternatives), I decided to cut my losses and make use of the C.S. degree to earn a living.

Do I regret it? Somewhat. It was a good intellectual challenge but ultimately you have to be able to pay the bills. There are times when I wish I had forgone grad school in physics and pursued an MBA instead. I'm still considering that path though, at 32, I wonder if it's too late to bother going back to grad school.

 

[HokieESM]

I second Semidevil's response. "Engineering physics", sometimes called engineering mechanics, is what a LOT of people expect a physics degree to be. Basic mechanics (understanding continuua, including electricity and magnetism at a field level) is a down-to-the-depths "understanding how things work". And more "employable". It depends on how far into the depths you want to go. Personally (and this was my personal decision), I found mechanics more interesting than physics--solely because in a lot of my physics classes, we were so far in the depths that, while I found it interesting, I couldn't see the _practical_ aspects. But I ended up doing my PhD in theoretical/computational solid mechanics.

However, if you like doing atomisitic and sub-atomistic simulations/experiments, physics might be where you want to be. Keep in mind that a lot of the hardware work is done by engineers, however--so if that's what you like, you might want to consider engineering or engineering physics.

I will make the remark that a lot of different majors start to "blend" at the graduate level. There are a lot of mechanics (my field of study) people who do molecular mechanics simulations of carbon nanotubes. And chemists. And physicists. Of course, those communities seldom talk--one of the big problems with academia, if you ask me.

In any event, good luck. Realistically, you'll change your mind a few times before you make it through college. The first couple years of any physical science is laying down the physical and mathematical basics--it might be more clear to you what you want to do after that. Cheers!

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Schrodinger

Originally posted by: silverpig
*paging Heisenberg*

Physics/astro here. 4th year.

I really find it interesting yes. The first 2 years wasn't all that great just because it's laying down a lot of the math and levelling the playing field from what people learned in HS. 3rd and 4th year you get into some cool stuff.

More than class though, what I find most interesting are the talks that visiting professors give. We have an astro colliquium on Mondays and a physics colliquium on Thursdays. Experts from all around the world come and give a talk about their research area. That's the really cool stuff. The only downside is when I'm sitting at home trying to do an assignment and I'm thinking about some of the stuff from one of those talks...

Are you at UBC?

I'm aiming for UofT, Waterloo, Queens (in that order).

Yep, I'm at UBC.

Pick your school based on who is there, not what MacLeans says is good. Find an area or areas of interest and see who at that school is involved in that. I'm looking at doing some projects here and there and while most schools in the world have someone who can teach me E&amp;M, fewer will have a prof who wants to do some research with an undergrad in an area of your interest.

 

[Schrodinger]

Originally posted by: silverpig

Originally posted by: Schrodinger

Originally posted by: silverpig
*paging Heisenberg*

Physics/astro here. 4th year.

I really find it interesting yes. The first 2 years wasn't all that great just because it's laying down a lot of the math and levelling the playing field from what people learned in HS. 3rd and 4th year you get into some cool stuff.

More than class though, what I find most interesting are the talks that visiting professors give. We have an astro colliquium on Mondays and a physics colliquium on Thursdays. Experts from all around the world come and give a talk about their research area. That's the really cool stuff. The only downside is when I'm sitting at home trying to do an assignment and I'm thinking about some of the stuff from one of those talks...

Are you at UBC?

I'm aiming for UofT, Waterloo, Queens (in that order).

Yep, I'm at UBC.

Pick your school based on who is there, not what MacLeans says is good. Find an area or areas of interest and see who at that school is involved in that. I'm looking at doing some projects here and there and while most schools in the world have someone who can teach me E&amp;M, fewer will have a prof who wants to do some research with an undergrad in an area of your interest.

Who is there with regard to faculty? I know very little about faculty.

As for courses offered, Toronto doesn't have much in the way of GR. Only two courses in the undergrad program I think. Toronto is local that is why I ranked it #1.

Waterloo has much larger budget. They have that new 100 million dollar quantum facility too. But at this point I don't know (if I even did graduate studies) what area I'd pursue. Astrophysics, GR and particle physics interests me so far (but I'm really limited of knowing the fields by being outside of the academic environment).

 

[HokieESM]

Originally posted by: Schrodinger

Waterloo has much larger budget. They have that new 100 million dollar quantum facility too. But at this point I don't know (if I even did graduate studies) what area I'd pursue. Astrophysics, GR and particle physics interests me so far (but I'm really limited of knowing the fields by being outside of the academic environment).

As far as stuff like research budgets and things, I wouldn't worry so much. "Research facilities" are just that--for research. And as an undergraduate, you'll have two opportunities for "research": cleaning up the lab and learning stuff from the grad students who are really doing the research OR doing some "feel good" research that the professor is getting funded cheaply because it works with undergraduates. Its not because you're stupid or anything--it just takes a LOT of time to build up the mathematical background to tackle serious theoretical physics. And, honestly, experimentalists should understand the theory better than the theoreticians--because they have to design the experiments to test the theories.

As an undergraduate, you're looking for a strong fundamental understanding of basic theoretical concepts. Frankly, in most scientific fields, graduate school goes as such: "remember all those assumptions we made to derive such and such? Well, we're going to relax those now, and your world just got a LOT more difficult". You'll learn what you like to do from undergraduate school--but you'll need a fundamental understanding of all of it. Grad school is where you'll specialize--and you have time to make that decision (you'll probably want to switch schools anyways). Pick a decent school, with a good reputation, go and do your work and make good grades. Make sure you LIKE what you're doing. Then go to graduate school and get serious--because if you want to work in physics, you'll be going to graduate school.

 

[Schrodinger]

HokieESM

Why is it that most people do their graduate studies at another school? For change? You often see that people have their BSc at a reputable school but still change to another school for their PhD studies.

I'm still thinking UofT is the right choice. They have a particular program "Physics Specialist" that I'd like to try and get into. Instead of having a major and minor, it is focused on physics alone.

 

[HokieESM]

Originally posted by: Schrodinger
HokieESM

Why is it that most people do their graduate studies at another school? For change? You often see that people have their BSc at a reputable school but still change to another school for their PhD studies.

Well, every school has its biases. You'll find that within a narrow field, there are biases. I did my BSc and MSc in mechanical engineering at North Carolina State... and hated the "engineering--let's just make it work" mentality. So I switched to a much more theoretical school/dept/advisor (Virginia Tech, Engineering Mechanics) for my PhD. And enjoyed it much more. Took some grad level physics classes to satisfy my curiosity. But in any event, even within my narrow field--theoretical continuum mechanics--there are two "schools of thought" (that adamantly hate each other, btw). Each with their own biases. Being exposed to "both" is a good thing--it makes you more knowledgeable, and more willing to accept the limitations of different schools of thought.

And there's another reason. the BSc degree isn't quite as applicable, but I see a LOT of people switching between master's and PhD simply because they took all the classes relevant to their field of study at their master's school. I know I did at NCSU. And I was looking for more--so I went elsewhere.

 

[simms]

I'd do my graduate studies in the US, for change, and for a better economic opportunity. Something around California though. It's alright at UofT. I guess it's the change for me.. but my math prof went to UofT, did his Masters at UT, now he works as UT as a prof, chair and lecturer.

So it's your choice.

 

[cquark]

Originally posted by: Schrodinger

Originally posted by: silverpig

Originally posted by: Schrodinger

Originally posted by: silverpig
*paging Heisenberg*

Physics/astro here. 4th year.

I really find it interesting yes. The first 2 years wasn't all that great just because it's laying down a lot of the math and levelling the playing field from what people learned in HS. 3rd and 4th year you get into some cool stuff.

More than class though, what I find most interesting are the talks that visiting professors give. We have an astro colliquium on Mondays and a physics colliquium on Thursdays. Experts from all around the world come and give a talk about their research area. That's the really cool stuff. The only downside is when I'm sitting at home trying to do an assignment and I'm thinking about some of the stuff from one of those talks...

Are you at UBC?

I'm aiming for UofT, Waterloo, Queens (in that order).

Yep, I'm at UBC.

Pick your school based on who is there, not what MacLeans says is good. Find an area or areas of interest and see who at that school is involved in that. I'm looking at doing some projects here and there and while most schools in the world have someone who can teach me E&amp;M, fewer will have a prof who wants to do some research with an undergrad in an area of your interest.

Who is there with regard to faculty? I know very little about faculty.

As for courses offered, Toronto doesn't have much in the way of GR. Only two courses in the undergrad program I think. Toronto is local that is why I ranked it #1.

Waterloo has much larger budget. They have that new 100 million dollar quantum facility too. But at this point I don't know (if I even did graduate studies) what area I'd pursue. Astrophysics, GR and particle physics interests me so far (but I'm really limited of knowing the fields by being outside of the academic environment).

If you're not quite sure which area of research you want to pursue, you may want to think about getting a master's degree first. Figure out what you want to do there, get some research experience, publish something, and use that experience to get into a good PhD research program. As for knowing the faculty, see who comes to your school to give colloquia and find who writes good journal articles in your areas of interest.

As for GR, two undergraduate classes is a lot more than most schools if they actually offer them. Most schools have one on their catalog that they offer once every few years if you're lucky. If you're really interested in GR, it's one of the smaller specialties, but check out University of Pittsburgh (http://artemis.phyast.pitt.edu/), Syracuse, and UT-Austin.