I'm at a bit of a crossroads in my life right now. I'm a high school senior this year, and I love doing both physics and electronics—with more formal training from the electronics class at my school than in physics (where I have zero formal training in it). Currently, both of the job markets aren't looking too amazing for them both.
If I get my PhD in physics, then I'll probably have to go with either a research lab or try to get myself into the already crammed and ultra-competitive professor position, making meager wages for an absolute crap ton of work. And, if I go into a research lab, if it's a private facility, I'd have to deal with a good portion of my work being made proprietary, but with a better pay. If I go with a public lab, my work would (generally) be available to the public, but the pay wouldn't be as good.
Or, I could go into electronics, get a BSc or MSc, and work for a company like Moog or Korg. The work would likely be proprietary, and the pay might not be as steady, but I love working on synthesizers, especially on voltage-controlled filters.
I do see that a lot of people in physics work on electronics. The authors of The Art of Electronics and the author of Practical Electronics for Inventors are mostly physicists—or at least have a qualification in physics.
So, that leaves me at a bit of a major question: Do I just go and have a career in physics and do electronics on the side, or do I go for a career in electronics and potentially leave a lot of physics qualifications behind? I know the question sounds like a bunch of wank to bloat my ego, but it's been keeping me up at night.
If I get my PhD in physics, then I'll probably have to go with either a research lab or try to get myself into the already crammed and ultra-competitive professor position, making meager wages for an absolute crap ton of work. And, if I go into a research lab, if it's a private facility, I'd have to deal with a good portion of my work being made proprietary, but with a better pay. If I go with a public lab, my work would (generally) be available to the public, but the pay wouldn't be as good.
Or, I could go into electronics, get a BSc or MSc, and work for a company like Moog or Korg. The work would likely be proprietary, and the pay might not be as steady, but I love working on synthesizers, especially on voltage-controlled filters.
I do see that a lot of people in physics work on electronics. The authors of The Art of Electronics and the author of Practical Electronics for Inventors are mostly physicists—or at least have a qualification in physics.
So, that leaves me at a bit of a major question: Do I just go and have a career in physics and do electronics on the side, or do I go for a career in electronics and potentially leave a lot of physics qualifications behind? I know the question sounds like a bunch of wank to bloat my ego, but it's been keeping me up at night.