However, when I've graduated I don't think I would ever call myself a physicist like yourself unless I actually went on to do research in physics as a career, which likely means following the traditional academic path of doing a PhD (since I'm not Freeman Dyson).
Sorry for the nitpick but such titles should be earned don't you think?
Your comment seems to imply that you got into a physics PhD from a non physics background - is that the case? If so, how can one message you to chat more about it?
I'm nearing the end of my PhD in physics and I feel the same way. I've really enjoyed it and I'm absolutely OK not pursuing an academic career. I'm starting to lay out my plan for applying for jobs in industry - and I won't be applying for anything with "physicist" in the job title. I got to work on fun and interesting projects while having the freedom to learn other things that were interesting and enjoyable to me. I've also made amazing friends along the way.
Same for most science - physics, chemistry, etc… I have a Physics PhD and I still wouldn’t consider myself a physicist as applying the physics skills is not what I do day to day.
Agreed. I have an undergrad in physics from a top uni, took solid state courses, and worked in a lab specifically studying superconductivity and I dont really feel qualified to comment on this, so a generic undergrad physics degree certainly means jack.
An entry level physicist has a Ph.D. not a Bachelor's. I believe this is true for all the sciences. A B.S. in biology or chemistry gets you a job as a lab tech, maybe.
What field are you working in? I am a prospective physics graduate student, and I want to do physics research as a career. However, I am uninterested in going into academia after attaining my PhD, and I am also financially independent due to inheritance.
Please please please do not pursue a PhD or MSc in Physics on the sole expectation it will open a door to a career that you believe would otherwise be closed. You will not enjoy it.
I have worked as a web developer without a degree for a few years. Since I felt same as you, I embarked on a Physics BSc, due to graduate in 3 months. My plan is to go to grad school, HEP theory if I can get in. Already taking a hit on my income due to time spent studying but it is worth it.
Apparently, maybe that's more of a local thing, there are no job offerings in industry* for Physics BSc or MSc other than web development or data science, since most R&D Jobs either require experience and/or a PhD.
Although I chose Physics mostly due to my curiosity, desire to understand how things work and the romantic idea of working in large scale physics experiments or performing researched that mattered.
I soon realized, after working in different groups over 3-4 years, that academic R&D is fully driven by the publishing frenzy and scientific rigor is sidelined most of the times.
Naively, I assumed that this was mostly due to the fact that I was not at PhD-level, and thought that the academic research world was not like this.
I applied and got a PhD grant at a different institution, and to my surprise+shock nothing really changed, other than the added weight of pseudo-responsibility that was bestowed upon me.
Maybe I have been unlucky, but the work just feels empty most of the time and void of any of the "spark" that initially got me into physics(and higher education for that matter).
With that in mind, I should have pursued a CS, EE, Math degree or a professional/technical degree.
Ironically, I'm currently pursuing a new master's degree in parallel with my PhD in an attempt to pursue a job in a different area(non physics academic research/webdev/data science).
Yes: I've a physics degree as well, but I'm a sci/tech journalist now. I'm sometimes asked to talk to physics students as an example of someone using their degree as the basis of a career outside academic research.
i did a phd, got highly cited and was promised to a successful career. i did not continue tho because:
1) the high-energy field is in deep crisis, unlike in Dyson era there is almost no new experimental data.
2) seeing people trying to get a temporary position looked pretty much like a pack of dog on a single bone with few left scraps of meat. for getting to the bone marrow (aka permanent pos) one basically had to kill all the other dogs then wait the bone crack open (i can tell you the resulting science is not always of high quality)
3) i wanted to do sth useful for mankind.
so yes i was not masochistic enough to become a career physicist, even if i am a respected expert in my field. also i don't think you can compare present day physics to Dyson era, science careers these days are more about social skills and PR.
so you're correct: i'm an aborted / half-backed physicist, who is highly p* of what the field has become, converted to computer sciences, just to realise my new field is as scientifically crooked as the first one.
i'll try to get it right next time :)
... at least this time i didn't get down voted too much on HN
However, when I've graduated I don't think I would ever call myself a physicist like yourself unless I actually went on to do research in physics as a career, which likely means following the traditional academic path of doing a PhD (since I'm not Freeman Dyson).
Sorry for the nitpick but such titles should be earned don't you think?
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