Hi guys, I am currently a sophomore second term and Im currently studying astronomy. I chose to study astronomy since I knew I have always been interested in space, however I didn’t really look into what to do after college when I was in high school out of fear.
After a extremely time consuming homework and a not so great midterm in my modern/quantum physics class I am debating whether I should keep doing this or switch into Mechanical engineering.
For some background, the reason why im interested in mechanical engineering is because I like to take things apart and see how they work. I also like looking at schematics and diagrams and want to get better at understanding them. I also like the fact that after college I can start working, I don’t need a PHD and I want to do something that’s practical and hands on.
I thought I would be working with telescopes studying astronomy but so far I have not. I will probably need to get into research if i want to do something like this.
If I switch now, it will add another year to college. Is it still worth it?
You would most likely have to take an extra year, if it’s even possible to switch into engineering. You should speak with an advisor in your college to get the best info. Perhaps, there is a field that can combine your love of astronomy with some better career aspects ( IMO, astronomy jobs have limited prospects). There are usually related STEM fields which can have more options. I don’t know this field well enough to advise you but I’m sure someone at your school does.
You should consider moving. The math you have from the physics program will carry over. That shouldn’t be a problem. In some schools the math in the physics program may even be stronger than the math for mech engg. Very strong physics kids sometimes go into Wall Street. Only because they are strong in math. Some physics kids go into mgmt consulting. But you need to develop other lateral skills for this, and school prestige matters for this. There are some direct physics jobs, but there aren’t that many. Here are some example physics jobs: https://career.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/Survey/2018Physics.pdf
Berkeley has a great physics program. This is the best you can hope for.
You need to at least talk to your advisor, and probably somebody in the engineering department: you want to be sure that you don’t jump out of the frying pan into the fryer! Learn more about what it takes to do that switch in your university; what the courses you would need to take are; how your quantum physics performance is relative to your class, etc. You really can’t think this through without input from people who know the bigger picture- ie advisors and profs. Be aware that the input you get may be contradictory! your job will be to sift and synthesize their advice / recommendations / information and see how it fits you, your circumstances and objectives.
I am going to try and meet up with my current advisor and then meet with the engineering one again and ask specific questions that I also asked you guys. In the meantime i think it would be smart to go to some lectures and try and see if I like what I see to get a better understanding of what to do. So far I like it when I understand it, but it can get confusing at times. Its a lot like math and I like math when I understand it well.