I read a really good sci-fi book and now I suddenly feel the urge to go back and study physics in college. I want to get my bachelors, then I want to get my PhD and get a research position and make groundbreaking physics research.Is this possible to do if I've previously gone to college, studied engineering, then failed out?
>>34836879
>>34836879how much more debt are you willing to take on?
>>34836891debt?studying in europe is free
STEM degrees are notoriously difficult, if you failed engineering and didn’t show any promise like some teenage whiz kid winning math competitions and shit, you’re gonna have a bad time. In my college (2nd largest in USA, research college) there were so many STEM failures that they had to start offering cope classes to replace research/intern credits because there was no way those kids would survive in a research or work environment. But then again, with so many students cheating with AI these days, you can probably stand out if you study the old-fashioned way with no AI.
>>34836879>Is this possible to do if I've previously gone to college, studied engineering, then failed out?Depends on why you failed and what classes you failed specifically. If you struggle with math beyond calculus you're almost certainly never going to be good at physics. Good for you for being inspired, but having a grasp of higher level math is essential for even describing basic, known physics, let alone "groundbreaking." It's like trying to communicate without knowing the language, maybe you can get by just recognizing patterns and learning shortcuts but there will be higher layers of meaning you can never access. Another thing is that modern physics research is a team sport and driven by committee. Damn near all the low hanging fruit that can be picked by lone geniuses have been picked clean. It now usually requires groups of researchers working together on niche corners of the field making incremental advancements and occasionally finding synergy in their work that becomes larger discoveries. The day to day life of being a real physics researcher is like any other white collar office drone, except you're doing math and writing simulations instead of filling spreadsheets and writing sales pitches. And even then you still have to do lame corpo shit like making powerpoints and writing reports that no one reads in addition to your actual published research papers.
>>34837664>>34837702I failed because of depression, I just stopped going to classes and got a 0.4 gpa.I've always done well in math. I had A's in every math class I've ever taken, including an advanced linear algebra class and diff eq class>Another thing is that modern physics research is a team sport and driven by committee.Yeah, I think I wnat to work in a Particle Collider, like CERN. El Psy Congroo. It's all interesting to me
>>34839913Well, if you're confident you can handle the coursework and can stick with it this time, and you're fine with the day-to-day reality of being a researcher, then go for it. At 26 you still have some neuroplasticity left, you'd need to get on it right away but you can probably manage.The only thing I'd say is be prepared for the time commitment. PhD is going to take 4-5 years minimum even if you don't do a Master's (in the US some PhD programs don't require or even offer a Master's, you just go straight from undergrad into the program and your qualifying exam becomes the milestone for becoming an actual candidate instead.) IDK if you have any credits from undergrad you can still use but at a minimum you'll be dedicating the next 7-8 years of your life to this, maybe even the next full decade. If you don't have savings or a way to get income it will be very rough starting your career in your mid 30s.
>>34840085>At 26 you still have some neuroplasticity leftI have similar woes to OP except I'm 10 years older, so I guess I'm fucked then?
>>34840208It really depends on your education and how similar it is to OP. If you dropped out and haven't been studying math or science in some way, you probably don't have the neuroplasticity required anymore for really advanced studies. I'm not gonna say you're fucked, but it really depends. I know of middle aged people that got into PhD programs later in life but they always had a successful undergrad education when they were younger and either went to work in their STEM field with just a bachelors or they were motivated enough to keep studying on their own. If you have to start from undergrad in your mid 30s, you might be cooked. I mean practically speaking, if you're in your mid 30s don't you have better things to do than going back to school? If you lock into a PhD track and start fresh from undergrad that's a whole decade of your life. What will you do for money? Do you have plans for starting a family, or already have one? You can do whatever you want bro but I'd be questioning a serious, complete career shift at your age. Theoretically you can do online courses but if you actually want to work as a scientist there's no replacement for on-campus labs and faculty interactions.
>>34840248>I mean practically speaking, if you're in your mid 30s don't you have better things to do than going back to school?Perhaps I don't and that might be one of reasons I still care about this. Wasn't able to start a family for very much same reason I dropped out of uni, and it feels that in mid 30s it's too late for that even more than for education. I really just want to do something I could care about with the rest of my life.
>>34836879which book, anon?
>>34840354
>>34836879Are you good at math? Were you ever?
>>34836879Where do i find a plain girl but all tatted up like this? The ones with tats always try too hard and come off as campy when I just want a chill gf who likes art and expressing herself.
>>34843264Women are NPCs, pretty much anything they do is performative
>>34836879I don't know physics as a curriculum, but from the little I've heard, it doesn't sound much easier than engineering, hell, it even involves engineering! I did software engineering at 26, it was easier for sure given I was older, but group work was a little awkward. I scraped a first class while working part time, but it wasn't a fun experience honestly. You're 100% gonna use AI, and it will make it maybe 30-40% easier, so don't sweat it, just manage your time. If you really wanna think realistically about the future, doing something more hands on or in management is the wave. I fucking graduated the year the tech layoffs started and lost all confidence in it. As for PhD, I wouldn't put all your eggs in that basket just yet. Get through masters first.GL anyway
Unless you have an employment path set up, it's retarded to go to university.You can learn on your own if it's just for personal growth.
>>34836879I went to study physics and change the world, and ended up burning out on it and switching to engineering/comp sci. I realized with the lack of professor positions nobody is gonna pay me to sit and ponder about the universe. Besides, all the low hanging fruit problems got solved many years ago. All that's left is impossible, unsolvable problems. Although, if you study engineering you could maybe make the tools that enable those problems to be solved.
>>34836879Heya, I just finished my physics bachelor today (well, finished my thesis presentation, still gotta clean up thesis with corrections), and feel I can answer this.I feel the easiest way to answer this is to actually see what you'll be studying/spending your time with. Go crack open a field of physics you haven't touched yet but is a necessity of a bachelors, ie I think try Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by Griffith. You can find it easily on Anna's archive. And, try actually learning it by yourself, solving the questions, rereading it, taking notes, seeing how the concepts stick, etc. Also, learning what prerequisite math is required, figuring out what foundations are, etc. If you are capable of doing that and after looking some exams on such a course and feel comfortable in doing it, then you can do a degree. After all, this is what you'll do in college anyways, a shitton of self studying. TAs and profs might help you, but sometimes that's a luxury if they're understaffed, so you need to be able to have the motivation to keep going by yourself, and see if you genuinely enjoy learning about this.If you have the time, (I'm not sure when you'd enroll) try to finish 1 book, and do a significant chunk of the equations. My QM course recommended 100 hours of self study, but given you're out of the academic loop give yourself 200 hours, and space it out throughout some months. Rack your mind on them for hours, etc. Then, ask yourself, do you want to do this for 3 years in a row, while doing multiple other parts of physics at the same time?If yes, and actually spending those hours starts filling out the vast web of knowledge, even if at times miserable you feel some purpose AFTER doing this, then this is for you. Trying to decide before trying wouldn't really get you anywhere
>>34836879You have my permission
>>34836879Not impossible. People have done that. But they are exceptions that prove the rule imho. >get a research position and make groundbreaking physics researchThis one of the more difficult part. Ageism is very real. Out of kindness. They don't want you to waste your life on research if you're that old. A professorship is just very very unlikely. There are just too many applicants, globally. But until phd i think it's very doable. You may even be able to convince someone to take you as a postdoc, at least once. Also the job market is pretty shit. You need to check the teaching qualification system in your country. You may need to get one. Classic advice: http://timeblimp.com/?page_id=225 For americans, but applies to europeans too.
>>34836879I don't see why it's not possible but sounds like a waste of time ie probably better job or social opportunities by not nerding out on these things
