re: #179 freetoken

I’ve toyed with the idea of going back and getting a Ph.D… but at my age I’m not sure what I’d do with it. My MS is in computer science, but my undergrad was physics/math, yet going back into a physical science is probably undoable at this point. I’m fascinated by paleontology (have been since I was a kid) but it would take many years to get through a program (even assuming I could get into one.)

As I’ve aged I’ve forgotten so much. It’s still possible to learn new things - but it takes longer. Much longer.

And I’ve reached the point where I am quite disgusted with academia.

Hope the best for your professional endeavors. My own fellow undergrads that I’ve kept up with have abandoned doing physics as far as I can tell. One (who went on to get a PhD from Princeton) bailed rather early on. Another (PhD) ended up doing more science management/lobbying than real research. In my career the Physics PhDs I knew that seemed happiest were the Earth science types (atmospheres and oceans) - I think because they got out every once in a while and played in the ocean or with the sky that it helped.

Freetoken - in my many years in HR, I often talked to people who wanted to go back to school and get this or that degree, and they always ended by saying, “But, it’ll take 3 years and in 3 years I’ll be X years old!”.

You see, they’ve asked themselves the wrong question.
The question is not how old will I be when I finish, because in 3 years, you’re going to be 3 years older no matter what you do.

The question is: What do you want to be doing with your life in 3 years?

If you think you want to do it, go for it.