(December 31, 2011 at 4:44 am)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: Oh - one more thing. If you're not involved in a local amateur astronomy group, I would recommend it. You can do useful research as an amateur.
That's a great idea! I actually never thought of it. I did some googling and I found a Pro-Am Astronomy organization near my city. It is about 20-30 minutes drive. There is no qualification to be a member and the yearly fee for membership is extremely cheap, for students it is only 27 USD. It is a pro-am collaborations. I'm definitely checking it out. I think I will also help me decide if I want to major in astronomy or not.
(December 31, 2011 at 4:37 am)Chuck Wrote: I considered majoring in astronomy in college, until I realized that
1. There is no career that would interest me without a PhD
2. There are about 30 job openings each year in the WORLD, POSSIBLY THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE, for astronomy PhDs.
(December 31, 2011 at 4:53 am)5thHorseman Wrote: Its well known in the uk that physics, maths, engineering and economics students are at the top of graduate employment statistics, so go for it.
And phds astrophysicists are liked in quant finance jobs and earn shit loads.
I'm having a little facts confusion here. So job openings is extremely rare except for the UK?
(December 31, 2011 at 11:15 am)aleialoura Wrote: Usually the syllabus for a degree in astrophysics includes:
Fundamentals of Astrophysics
Solid State Physics
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics
General Relativity and Cosmology
Mathematical Methods
Classical Mechanics
Electronics (my least favorite)
Physics Lab
Statistical Physics
Stellar Physics
Galactic Dynamics
Stellar Atmospheres
and more, probably. LOL
The good thing is that you have a lot of preparation before you even get to that stuff. You could run a website, but I wouldn't put yourself through all of that just to run a website. That would be an awesome side thing. Considering the state of affairs in America, relating to this field of study and it's steady decline in funding, I would look abroad for a graduate school, and career.
Some good books for you to read:
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe by Michael S. Schneider
The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking
All great books for people interested in astrophysics. I could have just read those and been partially satisfied. haha!
Good luck to you!
Wow......that looks pretty dreadful. And thanks I will check out those books. I read a lot by Carl Sagan lol.
(December 31, 2011 at 11:52 am)Shell B Wrote: "Just" to run a website? Some people make bank running websites. The point is, you can get creative with your application of your education. You could be a writer, a teacher, a researcher, work for NASA, etc. You don't have to pigeon hole yourself. If you like it, study it. If you are iffy about it, do something else.
What do you mean by running a website? What sort of website? I'm pretty ignorant on that subject. And I think if I could just get through with all the school for it, I would probably be able to find a way to make a living lol..I hope
