Forensicmad Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 Hi, I am deeply interested in space and all the physical workings of it. I am 16 and so thinking to the future. I have had no career advice whatsoever. I am thinking about taking a degree in astrophysics or maybe aerospace. I am wondering which career paths would open up after taking such a degree. Would it be wide or narrow? I have already searched the forum and found another thread like this one but that was all based on information in America and I am over here in England. I was just pondering on some questions which I hope you may have the answer to: 1. What sort of things would you learn on the course? 2. What sort of things would you do on a daily basis as an astrophysicist/aerospace engineer? 3. In your opinion, do you think things would get repetitive over a long period of time? Would it be something I could enjoy for the rest of my working career? 4. (Of course) what is the pay like for such a career? I would be nice to end up in a field I love but it would be even better getting paid well for it. Thanks all. BTW, if you know of any professional astrophysicists in the Milton Keynes or Buckinghamshire area of England, could you also give me that. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klaynos Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 Hi, I'm a physics student in the UK, we've got quite a good astro course where I study. So here are my answers, talking specifically about our MPhys Astrophysics course... 1) Here we have a system of "core" modules which everone does, which are the fundementals of physics, in the first year everyone does the same. In the second year you do a specific research lab into astrophyiscs, and take a module called observing the universe. In the third and fourth years you do a 2 year research project within the astro research group, and take quite a few more modules into asto, doing modules about stars etc... http://newton.ex.ac.uk/teaching/structures/template.html?F3FM That's the basic description of the course and the module list. If you click on a module number you can get a description of what is taught in it. Most unis will have something similar avaliable online... 2) The astophycists I know spend most of their days sat at computers analaysing data, and flying to telescopes all over the world... 3) The people I know who are involved with it the ones who are 50 are as enthusiastic about their research as the ones who are currently undergrads, you must remeber you probably wouldn't spend your whole life just doing one research project... 4) as for pay I'm not really sure, a look around http://physicsweb.org/jobs/ might give you a good idea though, there's quite a few pages of jobs listed there... Check out your local universities, if they've got a physics or astro department (or engineering) contact them, if you can get into contact with them, most would be quite happy to convince you that what they do is the best thing ever... Also, http://careers.iop.org/Students/index.html might be worth a look... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forensicmad Posted May 13, 2006 Author Share Posted May 13, 2006 Thank you very much for all your help! Good luck with your course btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forensicmad Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 Just bumping this. I'm trying to get as much information as possible. If anyone knows any of the answers, please give them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locrian Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 You mention aerospace; be careful with that area. That field has regular boom-bust cycles, and engineers out of the USSR and China are often willing to work for far less than you would probably want to get paid. When considering salaries you'll hear for the field, always remember that those averages rarely take into account those people who are unemployed (and therefore making nothing at all), which would tip the scale considerably. As for astrophysics, if you are an excellent student and go to a good (but not incredible) university you can expect to pay for your college, be supported (with a small stipend) during your graduate work, and spend anywhere from 4-8 years as a postdoc making 30k. Once on a tenure track - assuming you get one - you'll be making 40-60k for a while, before you start making closer to 80-90k much later on. Obviously these numbers are different per college, but I believe they are fair averages. Note that you get that "professor" pay up to 25 years after you start college, and consider that into the opportunity cost for the profession. So the pay stinks, but if you love the area it could be very well worth it. Also, if you love the area I doubt it will get repetitive and boring, unless of course you just aren't very good at it. To answer your question about wide and narrow, astrophysics is pretty narrow. There are very few jobs you'll be able to get outside the university field, and be critical of anyone who says otherwise. So you've really asked one question about two very different things, aerospace engineering and astrophysics. If you decide you love astronomy, then more power to you. However, I will give you this warning: there are many, many fascinating things in this universe. It is possible to get a high school and college degree without running into most of them. Consider the possibility that there are other things you enjoy just as much that have better job prospects, and keep an open mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klaynos Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 You mention aerospace; be careful with that area. That field has regular boom-bust cycles' date=' and engineers out of the USSR and China are often willing to work for far less than you would probably want to get paid. When considering salaries you'll hear for the field, always remember that those averages rarely take into account those people who are unemployed (and therefore making nothing at all), which would tip the scale considerably. As for astrophysics, if you are an excellent student and go to a good (but not incredible) university you can expect to pay for your college, be supported (with a small stipend) during your graduate work, and spend anywhere from 4-8 years as a postdoc making 30k. Once on a tenure track - assuming you get one - you'll be making 40-60k for a while, before you start making closer to 80-90k much later on. Obviously these numbers are different per college, but I believe they are fair averages. Note that you get that "professor" pay up to 25 years after you start college, and consider that into the opportunity cost for the profession. So the pay stinks, but if you love the area it could be very well worth it. Also, if you love the area I doubt it will get repetitive and boring, unless of course you just aren't very good at it. To answer your question about wide and narrow, astrophysics is pretty narrow. There are very few jobs you'll be able to get outside the university field, and be critical of anyone who says otherwise. So you've really asked one question about two very different things, aerospace engineering and astrophysics. If you decide you love astronomy, then more power to you. However, I will give you this warning: there are many, many fascinating things in this universe. It is possible to get a high school and college degree without running into most of them. Consider the possibility that there are other things you enjoy just as much that have better job prospects, and keep an open mind.[/quote'] Just to clarify, is the US or UK info? BTW this weeks newscientist 20 May 2006. Has 40 pages of science jobs in it for postgrads, some of which will be astro related... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forensicmad Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 Thanks very much! Aerospace was one of the things I was already skeptical about. Astrophysics certainly looks promising now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locrian Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Just to clarify, is the US or UK info? US information. Thanks for having me clarify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now