A physics master’s degree opens doors to myriad careers

Post by m463 » Fri, Apr 19, 2019, 4:19 AM UTC

analog31 wrote: post #140

codesushi42 wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unsubstantiated hearsay. How does a Master's imply you are a PhD dropout? Plenty of people go with the expectation of only Master's to begin with. Heck, this distinction is even made when you enroll in the Master's program in Stanford CS instead of the PhD program. They are treated as different tracks that you can't move between.

When I was a physics undergrad student, I remember being told by advisors that a Master's was considered to be a booby prize. We were told that grad programs would only consider students who indicated an interest in a PhD. One possible reason is that grad student funding was limited, and they didn't want to waste it on students who weren't going to contribute to research. All physics grad students were fully funded.…

Post by thatcat » Fri, Apr 19, 2019, 4:38 AM UTC

robertAngst wrote: post #133

bermanoid wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're covered by the parent's "besides learning to code" caveat. That's a real smooth career transition, I did it as well as a ton of friends who had the same background. ML is a particularly good fit because physics majors just LOL at the "difficult" math that trips everyone else up.

I feel like any bachelors degree in the sciences should have you capable of doing any math needed. I am quite concerned that Doctors in the medical field have limited to no understanding of statistics. IMO, stats should be second nature to anyone with 200 level math courses.

Post by j7ake » Fri, Apr 19, 2019, 4:54 AM UTC

rongenre wrote: post #49

mrits wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never considered being a PhD dropout a bad thing. There are so many legit reasons for not finishing a program.

I've been in recruiting discussions where we specifically wanted an ABD in CS (we wanted ability, but also eagerness to work in a new subject area). Although, it's conceivable that being both ABD and not specifically in CS is seen as a bridge too far.

Post by Ragib_Zaman » Fri, Apr 19, 2019, 6:32 AM UTC

agentofoblivion wrote: post #99

oneepic wrote: post #41

I've also heard the opposite, that it leads to absolutely nothing and you are kind of treated like a PhD dropout, at least in the US. Just be careful, I guess, and get plenty of advice from real people who took that path (successfully or not). Oh, and a bachelor's in engineering physics seems to lead to nothing as well. Have had quite a few friends go to career fairs and every company rep lost interest as soon as the…

That hasn’t been my experience. I have M.S. in physics at a shitty school and went into industry. (I didn’t fail anything, and actually had a 4.0 gpa, just didn’t want to spend more time in school). Eventually switched from material science to data science. Currently an ML research scientist at AWS. It’s been a fun journey. No one gave a shit about what I did or didn’t do in college. It might matter to HR people, whi…

Post by barry-cotter » Fri, Apr 19, 2019, 8:07 AM UTC

elamje wrote: post #138

repsilat wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Online. Could have something to do with it. Some classes were very good, but on the whole I think of it mostly as a cheap thumb on the H-1B scales. (Not true on the whole, though -- students of the online program are statistically far more likely to be American citizens than their on-campus counterparts.)

I tend to think online programs, even from great schools like Georgia Tech or John Hopkins, are definitely easier than on campus. Typically on campus will attract students that did very well in undergrad and are on their way to a PhD, where as online has no option to continue for a PhD.