Careers in particle physics
I am a high school student in Illinois, close to Fermilab. I am very interested in a career in particle physics. I admire the efforts of the many laboratories to introduce topics of particle physics to various age groups, including mine. One problem I find myself having lately, however, is figuring out how to turn my particle physics dream into reality. With a myriad of universities, majors, and positions in laboratories, it is almost impossible to figure out where to go, what to major in, and what job to look for that pertains to my specific responsibility desires. I am sure that there are many others, like myself, who experience this problem. So, I would like to suggest an article or issue topic that is focused on teens like me, looking to enter the industry but not sure what to do. It could outline which universities to attend or majors to study in order to enter specific fields in physics. It could also describe the responsibilities of various positions in a laboratory environment. From the articles in your magazine, I can see that the particle physics field is very focused on the future. I think it would be very beneficial to give guidance now to the people who are the future of particle physics.
Tomo Lazovich, Lyons, Illinois
Editor's note: symmetry plans to cover this topic in the future but, for now, check out the archive of the first Quantum DiariesCareer Week at http://blogs.quantumdiaries.org/37/ for a list of questions and answers. A second career week will be held in October.