ITT: some personal thoughts about career and future.
I'm starting the ninth course in my #physics master's degree, plasma physics. I started this program because I have no physics undergrad, and wanted to build out my background.
At this point, I've been through the usual core curriculum, plus #QFT, nonlinear dynamics, and now finishing out with plasma, solid state, and quantum optics.
I've slowed some on the #phd front, because my interests have broadened particularly in the past year.
1/..
There's topics and directions I wouldn't have even considered two years ago, that I'm now curious about. I do some quantum computing work, but I could see myself branching off in several directions over time.
My favorite courses so far were #QFT and statmech. I also find the emerging complex systems field fascinating. The remaining courses plus additional studies will likely add more.
That said, there does remain one thing I'd still do as a #compsci #phd, and that may actually be viable.
2/..
I will post a separate thread about that, but it deals with formal methods, and particularly an industrial approach.
I suppose I could add to the list of interests, if anyone is doing something similar in physics to what the mathematicians are doing with theorem provers to formalize math. A lot of interesting problems there.
Anyway, on the #physics front, I think I'm getting to the point where it makes sense to start networking seeing where all this could go.
3/..
And I'm in no way done with #compsci, and especially not the #OpenSource movement. #OSS has been a part of my life for a quarter century, and I'm working on something pretty major (hopefully) right now.
At the end of the day, I'm about doing things to benefit the world with science, research and technology. I'm just finding some new ways to do that.
4/4
Eric McCorkle