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prytania3
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« on: November 07, 2009, 12:23:40 PM » |
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So at the last minute, Prylet decided against the Marines. They had found something on his record, and by the time they got to the bottom of it (he has a clean record), he was annoyed and possibly thought the whole thing through and decided against signing up.
When we last left off, however, he was at a cc in VA, which offered certificates in welding. Fine.
Now all of the sudden, he wants to continue at the cc--but on an academic track. He wants the science 2-year transfer program, so he can go to VA Tech or Columbia. NEVER has he EVER said he wanted a BA. In fact, he has always been adamant he hated school.
Now he wants to major in Physics, and I'm like, WTF? AND what does one do with a degree in physics? I know this all "sounds" like good news, but it seems like deja vu to me--like when I started college in chemical engineering because someone said it was a good field for women. OMG. Just because something "sounds" like a good idea doesn't make it a good idea.
Prylet does like science. He watches a lot of science shows on TV and has done quite a bit of reading on the subject (Hawking, etc.)
Still, I'm wondering if he's trying to scam me or if he really wants to do this, and what does one do with a degree in physics? I think he may be becoming a communist as well. He's like a young me. Science and poetry and communism, and I just want to scream, "Don't you understand--you really want to be an options trader at a large hedge fund!"
Science and poetry and communism are for dreamers!
But the question is--what do you do with a physics degree?
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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dept_geek
SPAF by decree, documentor of local meetups, and
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 7,688
through a glass darkly....
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« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2009, 12:30:18 PM » |
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But the question is--what do you do with a physics degree?
Quite a bit, actually. Check out http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/undergraduate/whatdo.htmlAnd this part is for you: Students Interested in Jobs in the Financial Sector:
It turns out that many financial companies, such as banks, insurance companies, investment firms, etc., are interested in hiring math and science majors. They find that these students often have a facility with numbers and are not afraid of computers or messy-looking equations. To impress a potential employer in this area, experience with numerical computation would be helpful; experience with statistics and perhaps differential equations would also be helpful. And it wouldn't hurt to take a few economics course or even an accounting course.
Also http://www.physics.purdue.edu/career/ |
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I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code. When in doubt, add chocolate.
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mozman
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« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2009, 12:40:54 PM » |
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Now he wants to major in Physics, and I'm like, WTF? AND what does one do with a degree in physics? I know this
But the question is--what do you do with a physics degree?
No offense Pry, but you can do a LOT more with a degree in Physics than with a degree in English. mm |
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Could you grow the foot into another patient? I mean, you are a scientist.
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,564
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2009, 12:41:18 PM » |
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But the question is--what do you do with a physics degree?
Said the person with an English degree. You live your life, that is what you do with a physics degree. Let the kid explore. Maybe he is preparing to be a poet. |
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verbena
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« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2009, 12:51:23 PM » |
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I love Prylet. Please wish him a happy birthday from me.
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"My kind of paper, into lots of fiber."
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antiphon1
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« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2009, 12:54:16 PM » |
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Tell him to go for it. Why not?
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prytania3
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« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2009, 12:58:35 PM » |
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I love Prylet. Please wish him a happy birthday from me.
Yes, his birthday is next week, and he will be 20--that age when kids start coming out of the ether and start getting serious. |
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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alto_stratus
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« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2009, 01:03:36 PM » |
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Why not let Prylet try it?
He won't listen to you for at least another 5 years, anyway.
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prytania3
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« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2009, 01:09:18 PM » |
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Why not let Prylet try it?
He won't listen to you for at least another 5 years, anyway.
Well, I am. But I just don't know if he knows what he's getting into with all the labs and stuff. He really is acting like me at around that age, and I just made so many mistakes. |
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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malcha
Creepy Lit Critter, Undead Language Lover,
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 7,335
posting live from her FCFU
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« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2009, 01:10:47 PM » |
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Working through an academic CC degree to a 4-yr Physics major is way at the not-stupid-or-destructive end of 20-year-old behavior. When he decides he wants a PhD in an incredibly obscure humanities field, perhaps combined with an MFA, you'll be looking back all misty-eyed at these Physics major days.
Seriously, Prylet is a smart kid. Once he hits the point of figuring out something he wants and going through the process of getting it he will probably succeed, and he will have learned the basic life trick that will stand him in good stead in that hedge fund, if that's what he ultimately decides on.
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dellaroux
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« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2009, 01:12:57 PM » |
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I just finished reading Gunther's Death Be Not Proud.
It reminded me that very young men often have the potential to make important contributions to their fields; before he died at age 17 of a brain tumor, J. Gunther, Jr. had discovered one, possibly two chemical procedures and corresponded with Einstein about relativity.
That, taken with a remark in the book, A Beautiful Mind, suggesting that mathematicians make many of their best contributions early in their careers, then spend the rest of their lives processing what they discovered, makes me wonder if he might not have realized that this is "his time" to try to do things that are important to him in this field that he's followed from the sidelines for so long.
It's also quite possible that there's something else going on, but to take him at his best in this effort, he may, after all the need to defend himself before the service board, etc., have come to some annealing point where he's starting to see the patterns he wants to be a part of and make positive choices in that direction.
I'll never know what it's like to have to shepherd a child through these passages, except to see from the outside that it's terribly hard and soul-wrenching at times.
I wish you both the best, whatever you work out.
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Pax in terra choreagibus
Ballo non bello parare
How am I?: There are four levels: Alive, Alert, Awake & Functioning. Right now, I'm standing upright & moving forward.
We are gifted superfluously--the cosmos is more generous than we can ask or imagine.
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didotwite
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« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2009, 01:13:31 PM » |
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Why not let Prylet try it?
He won't listen to you for at least another 5 years, anyway.
Well, I am. But I just don't know if he knows what he's getting into with all the labs and stuff. He really is acting like me at around that age, and I just made so many mistakes. I can't remember, Prytania, but do you have a parent somewhere who would really enjoy reading this sentence? Because I think it's one of the joys of grandparenthood to hear exactly this. |
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prytania3
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« Reply #12 on: November 07, 2009, 01:15:49 PM » |
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Why not let Prylet try it?
He won't listen to you for at least another 5 years, anyway.
Well, I am. But I just don't know if he knows what he's getting into with all the labs and stuff. He really is acting like me at around that age, and I just made so many mistakes. I can't remember, Prytania, but do you have a parent somewhere who would really enjoy reading this sentence? Because I think it's one of the joys of grandparenthood to hear exactly this. Ha! Like my mother ever lets me forget *anything.* |
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Clowns, I tell you. Clowns.
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notaprof
Not a
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 10,925
Notaclique: You can only join if you don't want to
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« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2009, 01:31:41 PM » |
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Hi Pry, I have always thought your son and my second son had a lot in common, and it sounds as if they almost have the same birthday but mine is five years ahead of yours so he might offer you a glimpse into your son's future. I forced my son to go to community college just to keep him from sleeping away his days and to keep him eligible for my insurance. He hated high school and it was a real challenge to get him out of bed and to school each day so imagine my surprise when he was very good about getting himself to college classes each day and found a subject he was interested in. He became motivated, he started reading real books (his one book report he was forced to do in high school was on the Idiot's Guide to Bartending! He now has a degree in International Relations, speaks fairly fluent Japanese and has a full time job in Tokyo. It took my son longer than most but they do grow up. Prylet may find that physics is not for him but to this day I am mad that I let my father's opinion of my choice of major keep me from pursuing something I was interested in. I know now that it would probably not been right for me but I should have let myself make that decision. Let Prylet try this out. Community Colleges are a great deal for kids who may take a little longer to figure their life out. It won't bankrupt you while he is finding himself and it sounds like he is well on his way. If he fails at that, there is a program I posted on another thread called I Thought This Was A Joke and you can pay a pretty penny each semester while he finds himself. Besides, would you have listened to your mother if she told you not to major in your chosen subject? Note - I hope that community college folks don't object to what I said and the fact that I sent you a snowflakish student to deal with. I really do think they are great places and they have made a huge difference in the lives of my son and my daughter. |
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« Last Edit: November 07, 2009, 01:33:40 PM by notaprof »
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I am sick and tired of following my dreams. I think I'll just ask them where they are going and catch up with them later. Mitch Hedberg
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buy_low
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« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2009, 01:58:47 PM » |
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The first year or two of an undergraduate physics degree includes courses that fit many different majors if Prylet changes his mind. (I was a physics major my first year in college - it only helped me when I changed majors for the next 2 years). The courses will most likely be compatible with a change of major to computer science, pre-med, or engineering, and will more than fill the liberal arts requirements for math and science if he switches to the humanities. Also, if Prylet decides to switch to finance or the social sciences he won't sweat the math and statistics.
Most physics degrees require computer work. Here in Silicon Valley I've met quite a few physics majors who went to work as software developers.
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