but user... w-why did you choose to study physics instead of engineering?

> but user... w-why did you choose to study physics instead of engineering?

What do you answer?
Go.

though physics might be less practical than engineering in terms of corporate success, I believed it would be more useful to me to be able to master the ability to think abstractly and come up with efficient, new ways of looking at problems

sounds like a lot of bullshit lol

I hate Chads

man these white people...

By your description, you want to be doing math instead.

I ended up switching to math

I'm not either.

But a physics degree will give you a much better grounding in mathematics, which will be useful if you go into an advanced engineer degree/discipline

I want to build things

You might go for mathematical physics later, if you want to apply your abstract thinking to look at problems from new perspectives. It's pretty much the best programme for people like you. Much better than theoretical physics which mostly lacks mathematical rigor, and applied mathematics which is too broad to let you build the abstract thinking machinery you need for harder problems.

i'm trying to look in that direction. right now i'm starting my master's thesis doing some fourier analysis. i figure no matter how much fa i learn it will give me useful skills for field theory and i can probably go on to higher level harmonic analysis. any other tips maybe?

because i want to do research and still have a gazillion options on the job market you faggot isnt that obvious?

Representation theory, topology(algebraic and differential), geometry(algebraic and differential), fiber spaces (esp. gauge fields) and riemannian geometry. That covers the most (useful) areas that you can do as masters student and you want to get deep into all of them. Honestly you'll be okay even if you go through just half of them, but gauge fields are very useful and a hot topic so definitely look at them.

i've read some about all of those topics. i have no interest in an academic position. what else could i look for? considering i might not get into a phd program, i'm likable and a hard worker but like many others i have struggled with mental illness, what worth is it to pursue mathematical physics? i've been advised that a phd isn't much better than a master's (obviously it's better) except for academic positions.

OP here, starting a degree in physics and math this fall. Just needed a bit validation for my life choices haha
Whenever people hear what I chose to study this is immidiately the first question to come up (right before "what are you gonna do with a math degree", but I got over it pretty quickly).
I realize this might not be the most practical choice (I'm not even sure I wanna get into research), but all I know is that I want to know as much about physics and math as I can, because I just find the two subjects interesting, and I don't think an engineering degree will get me there.
But hey, people are stupid, and automatically assume a degree is something you do to get money. Fuck off, an academic degree is a priviliege, and if you're studying anything other than what you find most interesting, you're wasting everyone's time.

Well if you don't want to stay in academia, it's actually a terrible idea to go into mathematical physics. Maybe as a hobby, just trying to keep up with research and playing with problems. If you want to get a job, statistics, probability and anal is okay because companies are always looking for data analysts(especially banks). Otherwise condensed matter has a nice overlap with math and good prospects in commercial research, but you would need to take the physics classes and without PhD you're heavily unfavoured. Mathematical physics is about as useful outside of academia as pure math. It's not that hard to get a job as MSc in math if you're a eurocuck, but PhD is a big thing for math on your resume if you want a position that challenges you.
Go for it, you can always get a data analyst position with math degree. And those are very nicely paid.

I chose physics because its about science, and i love being curious. think about what you want to do. Physics is a great degree, youll hav a ton of options

i'm a burger. what does a phd buy me over the next 15 years vs. an msc?

No idea, i'm a eurocuck and ended up going back to academia after a year working with MSc in pure math for a well full of honey. It was horrendously boring and honestly, any knowledge beyond BSc i had was useless to me. PhDs got to use a bit more involved math though. But don't ask your profs this question, you'd better ask someone employed in commercial research or whatever you want to do.

thanks buddy. good luck to ya.

Good luck to you too. You should thing through about leaving academia though. Should you manage to get into mathematical physics, you would be working with pretty much the most brilliant minds and there's no better environment to learn than that. I feel like getting a job where you would facilitate even fraction of your knowledge and which is also compensated nicely is pretty hard. Unless it's rentec or some such.

Because I don't want to fucking study engineering? Why do people study maths, law, finance etc? Not everyone wants to do engineering lmao what a stupid question

But I studied engineering.
Also, physics is for faggots who are too retarded for real math.

>My dad is loaded

Because engineering is for those looking for solutions from existing knowledge, while in Physics we find new and better solutions.

Physics gave us electron tubes (or valves), engineering made these smaller and reliable. And it was Physics that gave us transistors, an entirely new solution to the same problems that valves solved, just so much improved.

Enjoy having a lot less options and having a much more boring career in general, cuck.

>bioengineering
>having a lot less options
>boring

>implying you don't learn the math you need proceeding from engineering undergrad to grad

>theoretical physics
>mostly lacks mathematical rigor

???
t. not a theoretical physicist
I though this shit was entirely mathematical

>gazillion options on the job market

outside of STEM sure lol
have fun being a """Data Scientist"""

>My dad is loaded
>my dad's an engineer and he's lame but he pays my tuition. popsci ftw!
>w-why doesn't the gubbermint giv gibs for my ~important~ research?

physicists kill yourselves

>Because engineering is for those looking for solutions from existing knowledge, while in Physics we find new and better solutions.
>there's an entire area of engineering known as Research and Development
>implying engineers weren't faced with a brand new problem never seen before and had to devise new and better solutions
>implying engineers don't conduct fundamental research
>implying you could do your research without instrumentation and interpretation (or funding)
>implying engineers aren't more educated on their device physics than the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none physcuck

come fight me brainlets

Most programmes in hep-th emphasise the physical side and are not thorough with mathematical side. For example MSc in theoretical physics on my uni has GR, QFT and strings among other physics classes where math plays secondary role. For example in GR that theorists take, they don't show you how tensors can be used to replace most of standard lingebra. They just give a vague explanation of tensors and move on to the application. This would be alright if the math classes picked up on it, but they mostly don't, these are classes like algebraic and differential geometry (or topology) while tensors are lingebra that are taught in first year and they also gloss over this. The only class apart from math classes where math is on equal footing with physics is gauge theory. Mathematical physics programme consists of mostly math classes, with physics being in the form of a seminar (2 credits) like "seminar on Yang-Mills theory" , and so on. It's basically a degree in math with a bit of modern physics, while theoretical physics is more like a degree in modern physics with a bit of math.

>You should thing through about leaving academia though
Most people tell me that academic jobs in America are hard to come by.

it's mathematically intensive but not in a rigourous sense. theoretical physics usually describes a large framework from which to study/make approximations

I don't really like cock that much.

say you do a bunch of postdocs and don't obtain professorship. Is there any other "academic" research role you can achieve or should you just an hero at that point?
Because very few postdocs become profs

>says the beggar as he sucks government cocks
"yes, daddy!" he screams as Uncle Sam rails his loose, academic asshole and unloads a steaming hot budget cut into his guts

that's my thinking. i don't really have a dream of being a professor and i don't want to be out of a job at 32 or whenever i'm ready to move on to a professor position. the spergs win this one.

engineering math is a joke like fake math

But I am an engineer you mong

Because I'm not gay

>photonics
>materials engineering
>quantum computer hardware
KYS

My dad is actually a politician who probably can't solve a first degree equation but nice projecting, wageslave.

>implying this disproves your priviliged background
>implying being proud of your low salary makes you cool
drink bleach famalamalmalm

>making no sense whatsoever
>talking in the most meme way while doing so
You need to go out, user.

Ok then I'll be perfectly clear:
you're a retard. Bragging about how "I don't need money because my daddy is a politician" does not refute the point that you're a coddled faggot and furthermore a survived abortion who is proud of his useless specialization and the associated financial handicap that is a physicist's salary
>implying you aren't an undergrad
tl;dr an hero parasite

>there are "people" posting here who believe there are more important things in life than money

Hey OP,
You should print out this comment and save it so that you may look at it after you graduate when you start looking for work as you are trying to pay off $50k+ in debt.

t. current physics student

>why do you study some stupid brainlet shit instead of the stupidest brainletest shit in the universe
I don't, I study math

>>
Yeah, its easy to tell yourself that now. Are your plans to go into Academia? Its a fucking brutal environment and if you are not from a top school, good luck getting far. Ive got my BS in physics but decided to get a MS in engineering. DO not go into physics blindly without a backup plan. The industry does not like physicists as much as advisors want you to believe

>bioengineering
>labrat and sales positions

I feel that due to the academic-military-industrial complex, so many people convince themselves they are living this noble life of pursuing (insert stem major). It's kinda sad, I mean, I enjoy studying math, but boy do I love laying in the sun and drinking mimosas, reading fiction in leisure, and even manual labor. I don't know, there's just more to life.

>good at math
>liked physics profs more
eng profs were more hardass,
phys profs more coolio, and
appreciated muh math skillz more

This guy here just wanting to ask my own career advice question:

Not sure if I wanna do academia, and so would like to be employable as a BS degree, but don't wanna close the grad school door either.

Is Statistics a good fit? I am more interested in pure, but am ok with keeping it as a hobby :-)

Why do you assume that it has to be one over the other?
I want to study physics and math because I enjoy it (not because I want to reach some "higher goal", but because I genuinely like it and think it would give me a higher chance of enjoying life.
I'm also a musician, I enjoy hiking etc. but I doesn't have to do with my academic aspirations... You can have it all bro - just because you study something you like doesn't mean you're gonna devote every second of your life to it.

baka desu senpai

I dunno, my job title is Physics Engineer.

Physicist here. Do experimental physics and take computing modules. Literally impossible to not get a job after

L0L, the administroids don't know what we do.
I'm working as a Laser Optics Physicist and
my job title is "Instrument Technician", L0L

Wanted to learn something useful

to understand shit and have a good base for later on

trips confirm

Because I'm interested in physics and not project management and construction work.

>just because you study something you like doesn't mean you're gonna devote every second of your life to it

True, but specializing in a certain career path does change your job outlook which dictates your expected hours and pay. And that shit does dictate your life (i.e. what kind of vacations you can take and how often)

You don't need to be so mad about people being luckier than you, user. I trust you'll make it one day. In the mean time, I'll be here doing something I actually like instead of worrying about my job getting replaced by an internship.

>doctoral engineers get replaced by interns
You're more likely to be replaced by a postdoc or an [spoiler]engineer[/spoiler] friendo

It certainly doesn't have to be one over the other, and my comment wasn't really directed at you user. I'm in the same boat as you, but can't help but feel there are so many misguided people out there aiming to champion this generations heroic pursuit of "stem".

Perhaps it's my skewed sample bias from being on this board, and other sites, that encourage such a mindset, but from what I've seen very few view manual labor as a noble pursuit, and instead many "dream" of cramping under academic scrutiny while logging countless hours of studying (whether it be PhD life or just undergrad). I can't help but feel there has largely been a balance, once had, that is now lost among many young minds, and I feel the corporate / industrial stem push is largely to blame.

My solution has been to pursue trades and other reliable fall backs whilst enrolled, along with having many hobbies - like you I enjoy playing music, but I don't know a damn thing user. In my reading, the definition of a gentlemen, hero, etc have all changed so much and I can't help but feel that this generations view of it is the one I disagree with most.

You could be a military researcher

It's the Jews and their infiltration of the Ivy League schools. It used to be all about being an All-American man's man who was well balanced but now it's a competition among socially awkward nerds who need to study 16 hours a day and shit their pants if they get just one B

What clown college did you go to where this is the case?

After expending more time & money for a PhD.

The other one in brexit.

Daily reminder physicists are egotistical brainlets who can't contribute anything significant other than databasing and stamp collecting so they leech and beg to survive off other's money because they cant produce anything valuable themselves

inb4 muh theories
doctoral (read: real) engineers publish in physics journals too :^)

Physics
> Want to know why
> Want to make meaningful contributions
Engineering
> Want to learn how
> Want to build meaningful technologies

Why not both, desu?

Yeah I was about to say I switched from Physics to Materials and that math got me fucked up

I'm a bit autistic, it suits me better

Shouldn't you be studying sculpture at st Martin's college?

Because someone on this Internet community told me he had 5 PhDs and a 4-digit IQ and that engineering was gay.

>muh physicists make no money
Nowadays you faggots really need to understand, it doesn't matter what you do, if you can code, you will make a living. If you went to fucking acting school but you can code someone will eventually give you a job.

Implying engineers care about anything besides their salary.

>he gets a PhD in the sciences so he can be a code monkey
the girls are laughing at you user

>implying physicists care about anything but their egos
You can fling shit all day buddo but the fact of the matter is both professions are filled with shitheads AND people who legitimately enjoy science
In fact, I went into engineering because I believe it is easier for me to garner grant money for fundamental research and direct my own projects rather than milling around taking measurements for some jackass for years

Yeh that's a cute comeback I'm really glad you solved a captcha to post that but you missed my point entirely.

or maybe you missed my point dude
Why would you seriously go into studying the natural sciences when you wind up just writing code like some jackass with a CS (or as you said even an arts degree) could do anyway? What the fuck did you accomplish? I understand it's a very valuable asset and you're able to make a living off it with great job versatility etc. etc. but imo if you wind up as a programmer your scientific ambitions were in vain
Some people enjoy it sure, but personally that's why I stayed the fuck away from HEP-TH

engineering is applied physics and chemistry
Physics is the study of how the universe works and why it works
Chemistry is the study of how elements and their isotopes interact within molecules
and how molecules interact with each other

Engineering is the Study and practice of taking the combined knowledge
of both Physics and Chemistry
and using that knowledge to build something within predetermined criteria

Engineering is limited by the knowledge of Physics and chemistry that is currently known
With physics and chemistry, there is so much we don't yet understand
and we don't know what new things we'll discover today or tomorrow.

because for the sake of concepts
kidding, never actually understood math concepts fully ,and i just use bits of it to confuse other people dumber than me

>Physics is the study of how the universe works and why it works
mostly how, the why is for popsci and philosophers
>using that knowledge to build something within predetermined criteria
>implying CERN isn't engineered to break shit on the grandest of scales with the intent of discovering new things
>implying engineers don't do fundamental scientific research in their own fields to discover new phenomena and exploit it
>implying physicists don't have to design circuits and proof-of-concepts

Face it goyim, the only thing that differentiates physics and engineering is the attitude. The jobs are fundamentally the same (at the graduate level not Brainlet of Science degrees). Physicists do research for the sake of mental masturbation and engineers just want to exploit and break shit. Both of these are natural human instincts. Both are 10/10 prime shit