Career advice needed.

Greetings,

I obtained a BS in History four years ago and have been working as a
software developer. I have always felt under-challenged by my current
work, however, and for a long time have been feeling the urge to do
something more important for humanity. Recently I have been
contemplating the possibility of getting back to school as a Physics
undergrad, with the goal of eventually engaging in nuclear energy
research. I just turned 27.

I have the following questions for the good people of this board:

1. Am I nuts? Have you ever heard of such a thing?
2. I need to brush up on my rust-encrusted math skills. What areas of
math should I work on BEFORE re-entering university, and up to what
level? What other academic areas should I prepare myself on?
3. How hard would it be for me to re-enter as a Physics undergrad,
compared to someone fresh from highschool?
4. Which undergraduate schools do you recommend, and which graduate
schools? I prefer good quality public universities. My previous
stint was at UCLA.
5. Any other advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Dear WishfulThinker:

"WishfulThinker" <[Only registered users see links. ]> wrote in message
news:21f566db.0407051318.35daca64@posting.google.c om...

No and Yes. I started back to school to get my degree at about this age.


I suggest you consult the university you intend to study at. They should
tell you their requirements.


I found it easy. You may have developed the seriousness of mind that the
young lack.


David A. Smith

On 5 Jul 2004 14:18:03 -0700, WishfulThinker wrote:


I have a couple of comments to make. Individuals who feel
underchallenged at work usually take up a challenging hobby,
one at which they're pretty good. It's good that you know
programming, but in order to make something creative and
quite pleasant and challenging out of that you also need to
know physics (and math). And you also need to want to know
about a lot of things in the world. Then programming
activity to bring you the answers to some of the more
unusual questions will come very timely, handy, and quite
challenging and fulfilling.

You may study physics for this purpose. But if you wish to
study it to become another nuclear physicist paid by the
government, you need to be someone who does not care to do a
lot of work free. You will be going through and doing a
hundred times more stuff than an accountant jerk does, and
he or she will be making three times the money you're paid.
Remember that USA is a second world country, not "first
world", the scientists are still ridiculed by general public
and are being worked like slaves compared to those who study
two years for an associates degree in some non-scientific
field and become a functionary at some high paying job using
their "connections" and make twice or three times the money
you will ever make for your hard scientific work.

Another thing. While you're in undergraduate physics years,
a wife would be in your way. But in graduate school and
especially when closing in for getting your PhD you must
have a wife at home to sacrifice for you a bit until you're
out of dangerous waters. Good luck.

--

agar barAye vatane azize khod aghabe chAreh
migardim nazar bAyad dar kolliyeye sho'une keshvar
va be tamAme afrAde mellat va dar har fardi be
joz'-joz'e a'mAle dowrAne omre 'u bAshad.

"Mehdi Bazargan"