A) I think some of the replies to Mike E.'s thoughts have engaged in a bit
of "shooting the messenger". I don't think that all of what he said was
what he thought "should be" but rather was more a realistic description of
the job search in some typical College/University situations. My older
brother, the physicist, used to describe getting the Ph.D. as getting your
"union card", and that's not that inaccurate of a metaphor.
B) John D. makes a very very interesting comment below:
|" . . .Training in physics imparts a
| lot of skills and a "physics culture" i.e. a certain way of
| looking at things which is an excellent foundation for a wide
| variety of careers (especially if coupled with some "cross
| training" in how to recognize and attack problems for which
| the physics approach is not suitable). . .
|
|
| . . . Is it possible to acquire real "physics culture"
| except via the blood, sweat, toil, and tears of doing real
| research? (Sure, it can happen in exceptional cases, e.g.
| Ramanujan-type geniuses who develop outside the "system", but
| does it make sense for the other 99.9999% of the doctor-wannabes?)"
|
This comment is precisely the worry I have in the back of my mind regarding
PER degrees (not PER research) and other "variant" physics degrees that are
being designed as physics majors for people who aren't going into some type
of physics for a career, but wish to exploit that "physics culture" to
problem solving in other areas. I wonder if the baby isn't being thrown out
with the bath water. I don't know, its just a worry I have.
John mentioned Max Delbruck in a previous post, would he have done as well
if he had gotten a B.S in "physics for biologists" ???? (probably so, given
his talent, but the question is meant to be rhetorical)