Huy guys,
I'm currently in year 12 studying maths, physics, economics and ICT. I've been thinking about what is the best path to follow for my degree. I've been unsure as the whether to look more towards engineering or physics.
Engineering seems to offer good opportunities as there are loads of jobs available, plus you can switch between some of the difference disciplines if you've had enough of the one you're doing. Its likely that an you won't need to for too long to get a pretty good job. This is the direction that my parents have pushed me towards. Anytime I say to anyone that "I'm considering physics or engineering at university", they always seem to ignore the suggestion of physics and talk to me about engineering instead. Is engineering more prestigious/interesing?
Physics, meanwhile, looks like it could be great fun - particularly areas like astrophysics and particle physics. The issue for me is where would I go once I've done a degree in these areas? A job here seems less likely as it is quite a niche profession. I know that I'd love the subject but I'm not certain that it would give me such good career prospects.
For my career, I really don't want to do a 'regular' job. I'd like something where I can create, innovate and achieve new things, plus impress people when I tell them about my job. Working at CERN or ESA seems like my dream job but it will inevitably be really difficult to get in there. Sometimes I doubt whether I have what it takes to make it in such a profession but I do think ambitiously and I will work hard to get there.
Also, I was just interested in opinions on physicists and engineers. I hear some banter about engineers being stupid compared to physicists. Is physics really that much harder than engineering? I know the opinions of others shouldn't really count but I'm just interested in this.