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> Engineering Grad, Shifting To Physics, Advice?
WestByGodVirginia
Posted: Jun 1 2007, 02:12 AM


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I've got Computer Science and Computer Engineering bachelors degrees and am currently working as a Software Engineer. But I've become more interested in Physics lately, and want to shift my career in that direction. It's mainly research in quantum computing that interests me. My problem is, I didn't for see this as an undergrad, and my physics course work is pretty basic.

I've been looking for on-line Physics courses, but haven't found much at all. My other consideration was to just try and home school myself and see if I could do well on the Physics GRE, but then I wonder if grad schools would consider me a serious candidate for Physics heavy programs?

Any advice? personal experience? suggestions? anything?
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El_Machinae
Posted: Jun 1 2007, 07:06 PM


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Isn't engineering much more employable? Still, if you've got the 'employable' degree, and you're smart enough, then I fully encourage getting the "adding to collective knowledge" degree too!

Have you check out MIT's open course ware?
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Physics/index.htm

Some courses have audio, and the lucky few have video. Still, homestudying while waiting for you grad application to go through is a GREAT idea.


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WestByGodVirginia
Posted: Jun 3 2007, 03:02 AM


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Thanks, I'd never seen this OCW stuff from MIT, although, I still wish there actual courses I could get credit for online in Math/Physics. As far as employability goes, maybe I'm just being naive, but my current cubicle situation just isn't intellectually stimulating enough, despite the fact it pays the bills fairly well.
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3bodyproblem
Posted: Jun 3 2007, 07:18 AM


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QUOTE (WestByGodVirginia @ Jun 3 2007, 03:02 AM)
Thanks, I'd never seen this OCW stuff from MIT, although, I still wish there actual courses I could get credit for online in Math/Physics. As far as employability goes, maybe I'm just being naive, but my current cubicle situation just isn't intellectually stimulating enough, despite the fact it pays the bills fairly well.

Physics isn't very employable at all, at least in an undergrad. People think I am most qualified to teach gym class (No, I'm serious, I've had HR people say this to me in interviews)
You have to go post grad, PhD is the best obviously. The thing is undergrad physics kinda sucks, it's almost all Newtonian Mechanics. It's interesting at first but gets maddening by third year. Second year is really do or die. If you don't have a firm grasp of differentials and integration forget about it.
If you have Comp-Sci and you get Physics, you'd probably end up with a seriously good job at EA sports. Everyone I've ever met from there loves their job, everyone (brainwashing?)

Long story short, Physics is not a glamorous as you may think, it doesn't really get fun until 4th year, it's hard, and it will not make you employable without some other applied science degree. On the plus side the labs are fun, you get to play with some pretty cool stuff and you are bestowed a degree that only 1 in 17 000 graduates gets.
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