I’m a graduate student, studying high energy particle physics. Research in particle physics is something I have wanted to do since I was 13 years old. Many people have dreams at that age, but as they grow older, they find that they didn’t really understand what would be required of them, in one sense or another. This has not been my experience. The more science and mathematics that I learned, the more enthusiastic I became. I enjoy solving problems and working out equations; I enjoy programming simulations of physical systems; and I enjoy working in the lab, using equipment to get data, and then analyzing it. I do physics because I can keep doing it without getting bored, discouraged, etc. longer than I can do anything else.
That’s not to say that there are never times when I get bored or discouraged, but those specific instances are uncommon enough that they haven’t put me off the field as a whole. I certainly empathize with your distaste for MasteringPhysics (although it’s not the worst online homework system that I’ve seen; that dubious distinction goes to WileyPlus). I was fortunate enough to attend an undergraduate program in which the physics majors did not have to deal with online systems, but I’m now a teaching assistant for a course which does use MasteringPhysics. As a TA, I can see the answers for my class’ homework assignments, and even then I’m still sometimes mystified at what the system is doing.
It can be frustrating when you know you’ve worked out a problem correctly, but you get no credit from the online system because of some minute detail. The scoring often doesn’t reflect your understanding. However, the actual act of working out the solutions to the problems should still be a little fun, at least sometimes. And, of course, academic physics is not all there is to physics: learning to do research and lab work is just as important, generally. If you’re really not enjoying any of these things, physics may not be for you, and that’s okay.
Lest I be accused of other-optimizing, I’m definitely not saying that everyone should hold out until they find something which is to them as physics is to me: an area in which they enjoy working, have some skill, and can make a living. That may just not be possible for some people, due to whatever combination of influences that controls their skills and what they find enjoyable, as well as the constraints imposed by economic feasibility. Many of us will have to go for two out of three on that list, at best. To be honest, whether or not I can make a long-term living in physics is still an open question. Much of my research contributions involve software and programming, since I’m pretty good at it (at least among physicists), so I could probably secure a software job without too much difficulty. However, I find physics more meaningful, and that gives me more drive and interest than I might have working on some arbitrary coding project. Tradeoffs like that are, for the time being, part of life (as long as basic resources remain scarce).
One parting note: don’t get too down on yourself for having those days where you just want to vegetate with some entertainment. That happens to me, too. It’s okay to take some time to ourselves now and again; trying to be productive all the time will just lead to burning out.
I’m a graduate student, studying high energy particle physics. Research in particle physics is something I have wanted to do since I was 13 years old. Many people have dreams at that age, but as they grow older, they find that they didn’t really understand what would be required of them, in one sense or another. This has not been my experience. The more science and mathematics that I learned, the more enthusiastic I became. I enjoy solving problems and working out equations; I enjoy programming simulations of physical systems; and I enjoy working in the lab, using equipment to get data, and then analyzing it. I do physics because I can keep doing it without getting bored, discouraged, etc. longer than I can do anything else.
That’s not to say that there are never times when I get bored or discouraged, but those specific instances are uncommon enough that they haven’t put me off the field as a whole. I certainly empathize with your distaste for MasteringPhysics (although it’s not the worst online homework system that I’ve seen; that dubious distinction goes to WileyPlus). I was fortunate enough to attend an undergraduate program in which the physics majors did not have to deal with online systems, but I’m now a teaching assistant for a course which does use MasteringPhysics. As a TA, I can see the answers for my class’ homework assignments, and even then I’m still sometimes mystified at what the system is doing.
It can be frustrating when you know you’ve worked out a problem correctly, but you get no credit from the online system because of some minute detail. The scoring often doesn’t reflect your understanding. However, the actual act of working out the solutions to the problems should still be a little fun, at least sometimes. And, of course, academic physics is not all there is to physics: learning to do research and lab work is just as important, generally. If you’re really not enjoying any of these things, physics may not be for you, and that’s okay.
Lest I be accused of other-optimizing, I’m definitely not saying that everyone should hold out until they find something which is to them as physics is to me: an area in which they enjoy working, have some skill, and can make a living. That may just not be possible for some people, due to whatever combination of influences that controls their skills and what they find enjoyable, as well as the constraints imposed by economic feasibility. Many of us will have to go for two out of three on that list, at best. To be honest, whether or not I can make a long-term living in physics is still an open question. Much of my research contributions involve software and programming, since I’m pretty good at it (at least among physicists), so I could probably secure a software job without too much difficulty. However, I find physics more meaningful, and that gives me more drive and interest than I might have working on some arbitrary coding project. Tradeoffs like that are, for the time being, part of life (as long as basic resources remain scarce).
One parting note: don’t get too down on yourself for having those days where you just want to vegetate with some entertainment. That happens to me, too. It’s okay to take some time to ourselves now and again; trying to be productive all the time will just lead to burning out.