This is the start of a new “series” where I’ll answer questions that I get asked a lot. Questions can be left in the comments on any entry in the series. I’m kicking things off with one that almost everyone (except my fellow engineers here) asks me: “How much more do you want to study?” Or, “why do you want to study so much? Get a life/job.”
It’s really hard to give anyone asking this question a satisfactory response in a few words. Yes, I’m a nerd (or geek, if you swing that way) and I love science. I’m also the curious type and willing to put in long hours to try and do well in my classes. Plus I like doing research. And of all these can only lead down one path: a Ph.D.
Hence, this summer, I’ll be prepping for the GRE. I’ll take the exam in August and start applying to Ph.D programs in Materials Science later in the year. By April, I’ll get back responses and I’ll see where I end up going. It’s not that I don’t want to get a job after finishing at Columbia - it’s a matter of whether I can get one before I have to accept offers from any grad schools that admitted me. Further, by getting into a Ph.D program, I can postpone having to deal with the real world for a few more years. :-D Speaking of the real world, it is way easier for people with doctoral degrees to find a high-paying job; if nothing else, they can become professors and still do research on something they’re passionate about.
Some people have suggested that I should quit engineering, get a degree in finance/econ/management and start making a 6-figure salary right away. But I’m not wired for business and I enjoy science and engineering a lot more. I’m not saying that I can easily understand any science concept thrown at me. What I mean to say is that I am more likely to do the hard work necessary to do well in the sciences, rather than econ/finance/whatever. Life’s hard and I can sometimes be starved for free time, but hey, at least I’m doing something I enjoy doing. Not every class is fun but I learn something new each time I attend a lecture, however boring and poorly organized the class might be. That’s what keeps me going, I guess. And also support from my parents and most friends.
Plus, I’d rather make stuff than roll around in numbers/stock prices/simulations/finance-y things all day. Fuck that.
P.S.: Anyone who finds it hard to pronounce my name correctly can call me Viv so that you don’t feel guilty when you butcher it each time you say it. No offense.