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Thank you for the great reply! I hear statement (1) quite a lot, but it seems like a really subjective criterion. When I hear this, I think, "If I'm not as pas

by ohquu 12y ago

Thank you for the great reply! I hear statement (1) quite a lot, but it seems like a really subjective criterion. When I hear this, I think, "If I'm not as passionate as Feynman, I should not go to grad school." And so I haven't. Am I looking at this the wrong way? When I compare the subjects I enjoy and the careers that allow freedom and decent pay, physics seems to be the only thing that remains. Is that not enough? I don't have the confidence to know whether I'll love the subject in ten years. I also think anyone who has that confidence is either a Feynman-type or has deluded themselves. Regarding (2), don't most hard science grad programs pay the students? I'm also not saying that computational physicists are more employable than common programmers (or that they're better software developers!). I'm just saying I enjoy working on problems similar to those encountered in computational physics. I enjoy figuring out how things work and modelling them. In case I ended up hating physics by the end of graduate school, at least I'd have a strong background in mathematics and programming, and those skills could be transferred to domains with similar problems. If you don't mind me asking, are you still working in physics? Based on your "about" section, you seem to be interested in a great many things, like myself. Before entering graduate school, could you truly not think of doing anything else, i.e., did you truly obey criterion (1)? I can think of many things I'd still like to do while I'm young: start a business, write songs professionally, act... but it's hard to take risks like that when you've got a good (and more practical) thing going.

analog31 12y ago
I suppose (1) is an exaggeration. But there are a number of risks inherent in joining a grad program -- ways that students fall out and don't get their degrees. At least I think you need to be aware of those risks and willing to absorb them. And one of those risks is that you emerge with your PhD and folks wonder how you're actually smarter than you were without one. (2), yes, but it's just a reminder to set a bar for yourself, that you have to get into a decent program with decent support in order for it to be worthwhile. It might not be so much the principle of getting paid to work, but having enough of a financial cushion so you don't have to deal with crises by quitting grad school. I obeyed criterion (1) but not Feynman level. That's too strong of a criterion, like you suggest. Rather, the alternatives to grad school all looked pretty blah. I've been _extremely_ lucky. My thesis project was very much a hackathon in optics, electronics, software, etc. Today I work for a company that makes scientific instruments, and I work on assimilating new technologies on a 1 - 2 year time frame before we attempt to develop them into the next generation of products. So I do a lot of experimenting, learning theory, etc. I solve difficult problems that crop up with our products, in production and in the field. Truth be told, I also spend a reasonable amount of time on mainstream work, e.g., project engineering. I've tried my hand at both project management and people management. Those were OK. I don't have enough mental organization to do the project management thing when I'm actually competing with other project managers for resources. Over the duration of grad school, I kinda lost interest in basic research. It's cool, but I'm not a _great_ physicist, and I've simply never had an idea for my own line of research, which would kinda put a damper on an academic career. I prefer to work on shorter term projects where I can add value by developing an understanding of how things work. I also feel that the industry I'm in genuinely creates good solid jobs for people. I don't face the dilemma of wondering if I have to exploit people in order for my own work to progress.

by ohquu 12y ago

analog31 12y ago

I suppose (1) is an exaggeration. But there are a number of risks inherent in joining a grad program -- ways that students fall out and don't get their degrees. At least I think you need to be aware of those risks and willing to absorb them. And one of those risks is that you emerge with your PhD and folks wonder how you're actually smarter than you were without one. (2), yes, but it's just a reminder to set a bar for yourself, that you have to get into a decent program with decent support in order for it to be worthwhile. It might not be so much the principle of getting paid to work, but having enough of a financial cushion so you don't have to deal with crises by quitting grad school. I obeyed criterion (1) but not Feynman level. That's too strong of a criterion, like you suggest. Rather, the alternatives to grad school all looked pretty blah. I've been _extremely_ lucky. My thesis project was very much a hackathon in optics, electronics, software, etc. Today I work for a company that makes scientific instruments, and I work on assimilating new technologies on a 1 - 2 year time frame before we attempt to develop them into the next generation of products. So I do a lot of experimenting, learning theory, etc. I solve difficult problems that crop up with our products, in production and in the field. Truth be told, I also spend a reasonable amount of time on mainstream work, e.g., project engineering. I've tried my hand at both project management and people management. Those were OK. I don't have enough mental organization to do the project management thing when I'm actually competing with other project managers for resources. Over the duration of grad school, I kinda lost interest in basic research. It's cool, but I'm not a _great_ physicist, and I've simply never had an idea for my own line of research, which would kinda put a damper on an academic career. I prefer to work on shorter term projects where I can add value by developing an understanding of how things work. I also feel that the industry I'm in genuinely creates good solid jobs for people. I don't face the dilemma of wondering if I have to exploit people in order for my own work to progress.