A Cup of Tea

[GeneralKilCavalry]

I'm going into physics, so the competition for professorships is pretty severe, but there's still an option of doing something in data science or finance in case things go awry.

My intent really is not the money, I care enough about physics, but sometimes it feels like the attitude of people in the department is almost designed to turn me off. Out of ~45 people who started in the honors sequence (so pretty much mostly those who intend to go to a grad program would be taking this class), there are 3-5 people, me included, who are still going for it 2 years later. I still enjoy doing research and learning on my own however, and I think that's what keeps me in.

[darrelljs]

Physics was, by a wide margin, my favorite subject in school.  It felt like a field where 99.99% of the people make no meaningful contributions, and I was certainly not in the 0.01% that would.  So, engineering.  Big Bang Theory is overrated, but I do enjoy the scenes where Sheldon mocks Wolowitz for being a lowly engineer .

Darrell

[DaveV]

I have a BS in physics because, like Darrel, it was one of my favorite subjects. I took the advanced physics and math classes my freshman year in college, and the math prof assumed I was going to be a math major and the physics prof assumed I was going to be a physics major. Late in my undergraduate years, the department head explained to me that you need a PhD to do anything in physics, and a Masters in physics basically means you failed your dissertation. You essentially have a choice between pretending you have an engineering degree and getting a job with your BS, or going back to school and eating Ramen for six more years. I chose the former, found a job I enjoy, and am happy with my decision. I'll never win a Nobel prize, and my work isn't changing the world in a big way, but my job environment has been much less poisonous than what I've heard about academia.

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

Lets revive this:

Lately things have been getting a bit better for me. I took a gal out and had a great time, she even likes video games/Magic! Now if my physical/mental health would quit going south... everything would be alright

Hey, congrats! I hope things continue to go well with her. 

I have a date myself in Seoul next weekend - haven't met the girl, a friend set us up. We'll see how it goes - I haven't been on a date with anyone other than my ex in near ten years, so I'm going to have to relearn how all this works. I have a lot more confidence now, though, than I did as a shy 21 year old. 

sometimes it feels like the attitude of people in the department is almost designed to turn me off.

Could you tell me more about this? What's the attitude of the people in the department?

[GeneralKilCavalry]

sometimes it feels like the attitude of people in the department is almost designed to turn me off.

Could you tell me more about this? What's the attitude of the people in the department?

Example 1:
Professor who doesn't show up to class for 40-45% of lectures, however is present in their office immediately following class?

Example 2:
Professor who gives answers to the exam DURING the exam, going so far as to write certain things out explicitly on the board.

Example 3:
The department administrators refuse to give committed undergraduates TA positions, despite their offer to hold office hours when these classes traditionally do not have them. Instead, positions are granted to grad students who do not have the time/do not care enough to help students.
This is not an issue with finding jobs for grad students to pay them a stipend - plenty of undergrads TA lab sections. The math department does not have this problem at all.

Course offerings have not had too much thought put into them for the past decade it seems. Frequent rotation of professors between courses is pretty detrimental.

These issues are only compounded by the fact that the university is spending a few billion of dollars on new construction and renovation, and around 0.001% of that is going towards physics/math.

[darrelljs]

Which school?  Best physics paper ever.

Darrell

[GeneralKilCavalry]

Which school?  Best physics paper ever.

Darrell

Hilarious paper, thanks for that.

UPenn

[Chevalier Mal Fet]

So I was all set to go back to work today, and now the Korean government has delayed the start of school by two weeks due to the viral outbreak. I had to come in anyway, because Korea, so I'm just sitting in my office with nothing to do.

How's everyone's spring going?

[thestick]

You ever fall asleep, and wake up and it's a month later?

Have been sleeping like a squirrel in winter, yet am never rested. Probably need to rewire my daily routine. Have been slowly going mad reflecting over my college experience and trying to make sense of it all. Am beginning to appreciate chamber music. And trying to force myself to remember that English is not a pro-drop language, yet can not stop doing it. Makes trying to write for non-personal use strange.

Chevalier, how was the Japan trip and the date?

[GeneralKilCavalry]

And trying to force myself to remember that English is not a pro-drop language, yet can not stop doing it. Makes trying to write for non-personal use strange.

Without grammatical cases, it seems hard to be able to drop pronouns, no?

I find English unpleasantly verbose because of this sometimes.