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Theoretical Physics in TCD ... (5th year)

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  • 01-05-2009 9:12pm
    #1
    DessieOH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭


    Hi...

    Was looking at doing theoretical physics and trinity seems to be best option in ireland...

    couple of questions...
    a) Job prospects
    b) Types of jobs ( like research, lecturing ect. ... in more detail)
    c) pay
    d)whats the course like in general???

    thanks... i hope theres some TP's(or others) here that can answer:)

    des


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    #2
    Podge_irl
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 25,798 Mod ✭✭✭✭Podge_irl


    DessieOH wrote: »
    Hi...

    Was looking at doing theoretical physics and trinity seems to be best option in ireland...

    couple of questions...
    a) Job prospects
    b) Types of jobs ( like research, lecturing ect. ... in more detail)
    c) pay
    d)whats the course like in general???

    thanks... i hope theres some TP's(or others) here that can answer:)

    des

    a) Many and varied. Of my graduating class of last year a number have gone into PhDs in experimental physics (one is working in a lab doing some biophysics nonsense, another is doing some biophysics nonsense on computers). Many have gone into finance - not the area it once was but there is still a demand for mathematically inclined graduates. Myself and some others have gone onto further study in TP, which is a long-winded way to get a job and certainly quite troublesome, but if its what you're interested in then its worth it. Few enough people would struggle to find a job somewhere, its the kind of degree that is looked kindly upon by most employers.

    b) Academic wise, research and lecturing more or less go hand in hand. Its a long old road to get there though. After your degree you have a PhD (with maybe a masters on the way), then maybe 3-6 years as a postdoctoral student, then you might get a lecturing/primary researching position. You'll be doing research from the start of a PhD though.

    c) Academic wise - ****. I'm in debt at the moment and only going to get more in debt. It depends on what you do, there is far more funding for materials physics etc. then for pure theoretical physics (which is again slightly better funded then pure maths!). A PhD student can expect to earn at most €15,000 or so a year in Ireland. There may be difficulties getting funding at all, especially in other countries. Postdocs aren't exactly paid extravagant amounts either - you'll be on in or around the average graduate wage (this despite your 3+ years of PhD work). Lecturing positions are reasonably well paid. But I imagine few people do it for the money. If you go into finance afterwards you will earn a lot more.

    d) The course is great. Very enjoyable and will give you a decent overview of everything in theoretical and experimental physics. It's very tough though, and you have to be ready to work hard. There will be a lot of times you won't understand stuff. If you have any specific questions about the course I'd be happy to try and answer, though its changed somewhat since I started (for the record, I graduated last year and am currently in a Masters in TP in Cambridge, hoping to do a PhD next year wherever the hell will take me).


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    #3
    PurpleFistMixer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭PurpleFistMixer


    I'm a first year TP, so I can tell you what I've gathered about the course so far.

    I find it very enjoyable, but that's because I'm the kind of freak who'll sit there and go "wow that is a beautiful proof" or "thermodynamics is so damn cool!". If I didn't have that kind of enthusiasm for the subject matter I think it would be considerably harder. Spending hours on a single question would be extremely frustrating if you didn't have a little voice in the back of your head going, "but linear algebra is so nice, don't be angry at it!".

    Couldn't tell you about jobs. Can't say it's something I've considered too deeply - I picked TP for the above reason - I'd go gay for maths, were that possible.

    The hours for first year are about 25 a week, if you're interested. There's about 3.5 assignments due every week so a fair few hours of work on top of that. Also, understanding some of the crazy stuff can be a bit time-consuming too. So yeah, there's a lot of work.

    The class aren't a bunch of socially-inept nerds, either. Or maybe they are some years, but they certainly aren't in mine. Okay, we make maths and physics jokes that others may not get, but I assume this happens in most courses. If you're concerned about the "sort of person" who might put down the course when you're choosing it, remember to look back on yourself and realise, "wait a minute, I'm the sort of person who'd choose this course", and it's not so bad.


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    #4
    Podge_irl
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 25,798 Mod ✭✭✭✭Podge_irl


    PurpleFistMixer wrote: »
    I find it very enjoyable, but that's because I'm the kind of freak who'll sit there and go "thermodynamics is so damn cool!".

    You sick, sick freak.


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    #5
    DessieOH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭DessieOH


    Thanks guys both of the answers were really great.

    Just could you clear up the salaries for me...
    like how much will a lecturship will pay at first and then how much could you expect after 10 or so years (same info on reasearch jobs if you can). Dont get me wrong im not in it for the money.. however its not really mentioned anywhere so i was just curious.

    And so your saying there wouldnt be that much of a problem getting a job in the physics field??? (really location isnt a problem for me... id like to travel anyway)


    (....and podge, thermodynamics really is so damn cool!)


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    #6
    PurpleFistMixer
    Registered Users Posts: 5,851 ✭✭✭PurpleFistMixer


    Podge_irl wrote: »
    You sick, sick freak.
    I have a problem and TP is the only place for me. ;_;


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    #7
    Podge_irl
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 25,798 Mod ✭✭✭✭Podge_irl


    PurpleFistMixer wrote: »
    I have a problem and TP is the only place for me. ;_;

    Don't you go tarring us all with the same brush. Even I don't like thermodynamics. I mean, there is weird and there is liking Thermodynamics weird...
    (....and podge, thermodynamics really is so damn cool!)

    I've grown bitter about thermodynamics over the years. I'm a high energy physicist, I can't help it. Its partly due to me being ****e at it though.
    And so your saying there wouldnt be that much of a problem getting a job in the physics field???

    Honestly, it depends entirely on what you want to do (and where you want to do it). The "physics field" is a very broad area. My "job" is a PhD, but you simply won't be doing TP without one. You could potentially go into experimental physics in an industrial research environment, but I dont know a lot about that. I'm struggling to find a funded PhD place despite a pretty good academic record, but I'm not looking at a lot of places in Ireland or Europe cause I just don't want to go to them. If you are reasonably competent at physics you should be able to find a place somewhere. But you will definitely have to work for it.


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    #8
    DessieOH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭DessieOH


    cool... thanks again, your really quite helpful:D... just wondering if you can answer the other bit...
    DessieOH wrote: »
    Just could you clear up the salaries for me...
    like how much will a lecturship will pay at first and then how much could you expect after 10 or so years (same info on reasearch jobs if you can).

    figures (even if theyre rough) would be nice:)


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    #9
    Podge_irl
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 25,798 Mod ✭✭✭✭Podge_irl


    Sorry. I saw rough figures a while back - I have no idea as to their accuracy now. A Lecturer would start on ~50,000 I think (though bear in mind this is going to be after a PhD and up to 6 years of postdoc word) up to a full professor on 120,000 or so. Again though, I'm unsure as to the accuracy of these. You certainly wouldn't be impoverished as a lecturer, but you wouldn't be rolling in it, and it takes a lot of years to get there.


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    #10
    DessieOH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭DessieOH


    thanks...

    just whats a postdoc word???

    and adding up the years:
    4years degree
    1yr masters
    2-3yr PhD (correct me if im wrong)
    and then how much more realistically before a lecturship??


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    #11
    Podge_irl
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 25,798 Mod ✭✭✭✭Podge_irl


    DessieOH wrote: »
    thanks...

    just whats a postdoc word???

    and adding up the years:
    4years degree
    1yr masters
    2-3yr PhD (correct me if im wrong)
    and then how much more realistically before a lecturship??

    A postdoc is a postdoctoral fellowship. Basically after your PhD you would work under a senior lecturer, though obviously with more autonomy then a PhD student. Normall they are 2-3 contracts and you would generally do two before getting a full lecturer position.

    Most PhDs would be at least 3 years. Its more like 3-3.5 years.


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    #12
    DessieOH
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭DessieOH


    thank you so much... trying to find out infomation like this from anywhere but tps is near impossible... uve been a great help:)


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    #13
    myfatherrsson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭myfatherrsson


    PurpleFistMixer wrote: »
    I'm the kind of freak who'll sit there and go "wow that is a beautiful proof" or "thermodynamics is so damn cool!".

    I'd go gay for maths, were that possible.

    .

    My kinda place to be!:D cant effin wait.......


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