Since I'm the first one to watch the interview all the way through, I'll take this opportunity to comment. (FYI: the comments/questions are NOT facetious in nature)
You mentioned that you will ideally leave CERN with very "marketable skill set(s)".
To whom will you be marketing your skills? Other universities for teaching opportunities? Non-profit, grant funded organizations that allow you to continue specializing in your field?
I am a very poor history and geography student...pretty much a poor student overall...so excuse my ignorance...
When you say that Switzerland has a lot to offer and you hope to travel some, what in particular are you interested in there? Will it be by train, plane, bus?
Lastly, if one does not work at CERN, but decides to visit for at least a year, what kind of jobs can someone get?
Notwithstanding the language barrier, if I were to go spend a year there, with the half-completed college education that I have; years of retail and sales and general computer technology experience, could I at least feel confident in applying for a job somewhere as maybe even a generic retail associate?
Do those types of jobs even exist, or are the type of jobs over there simply not comparable to jobs in America?
I think your interview was great and very informative.
Looking forward to responses. Take your time, though.
Yeah, I realize I really come off like a "company man" in this video, talking up the whole phD experience at CERN. Its not just propaganda though. I really believe it to be true. Students who work hard over here, come home really well equipped to take on a number of career paths. The obvious paths are academic, like pursuing a professorship or a job as a research scientist at a university.
Aside from this, there is a huge market for PhDs with this background on Wall St. A lot of hedge funds and investment banks hire physicists to try to model the stock market. These guys are often called "quantitative analysts" or "algorithmic traders" and are paid pretty well.
As for traveling in Switz, I think Jeannette and I will only do things within driving distance. Admittedly, I may have exaggerated the appeal of Switzerland a little bit. We're more interested in going to other places (e.g. Italy) with our limited travel funds. We're trying to plan a Mediterranean Cruise for next spring (whoever wants to come!).
Your hypothetical about someone traveling here for a year while not working at CERN, isn't so hypothetical actually. Jeannette is having a tough time finding jobs that she's not overqualified for. Your chances are probably 100 times better of finding employment in a professional setting if you're bilingual. This is why I've been recently pushing for Jeannette to enroll in a language class (but she's resisting b/c it costs $$$).
Notwithstanding the language barrier, I think you would have a relatively easy time finding a job. There is a lot of retail in Geneva and the Swiss economy is absolutely thriving right now. In general the job market is much better out here. I can't stress the need to know French enough though. Thats a deal breaker for most jobs out here.
Thanks for the comments, -RR (That's my trademark signature too)
Since I'm the first one to watch the interview all the way through, I'll take this opportunity to comment. (FYI: the comments/questions are NOT facetious in nature)
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that you will ideally leave CERN with very "marketable skill set(s)".
To whom will you be marketing your skills? Other universities for teaching opportunities? Non-profit, grant funded organizations that allow you to continue specializing in your field?
I am a very poor history and geography student...pretty much a poor student overall...so excuse my ignorance...
When you say that Switzerland has a lot to offer and you hope to travel some, what in particular are you interested in there? Will it be by train, plane, bus?
Lastly, if one does not work at CERN, but decides to visit for at least a year, what kind of jobs can someone get?
Notwithstanding the language barrier, if I were to go spend a year there, with the half-completed college education that I have; years of retail and sales and general computer technology experience, could I at least feel confident in applying for a job somewhere as maybe even a generic retail associate?
Do those types of jobs even exist, or are the type of jobs over there simply not comparable to jobs in America?
I think your interview was great and very informative.
Looking forward to responses. Take your time, though.
-RR
Hi Rich,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I realize I really come off like a "company man" in this video, talking up the whole phD experience at CERN. Its not just propaganda though. I really believe it to be true. Students who work hard over here, come home really well equipped to take on a number of career paths. The obvious paths are academic, like pursuing a professorship or a job as a research scientist at a university.
Aside from this, there is a huge market for PhDs with this background on Wall St. A lot of hedge funds and investment banks hire physicists to try to model the stock market. These guys are often called "quantitative analysts" or "algorithmic traders" and are paid pretty well.
As for traveling in Switz, I think Jeannette and I will only do things within driving distance. Admittedly, I may have exaggerated the appeal of Switzerland a little bit. We're more interested in going to other places (e.g. Italy) with our limited travel funds. We're trying to plan a Mediterranean Cruise for next spring (whoever wants to come!).
Your hypothetical about someone traveling here for a year while not working at CERN, isn't so hypothetical actually. Jeannette is having a tough time finding jobs that she's not overqualified for. Your chances are probably 100 times better of finding employment in a professional setting if you're bilingual. This is why I've been recently pushing for Jeannette to enroll in a language class (but she's resisting b/c it costs $$$).
Notwithstanding the language barrier, I think you would have a relatively easy time finding a job. There is a lot of retail in Geneva and the Swiss economy is absolutely thriving right now. In general the job market is much better out here. I can't stress the need to know French enough though. Thats a deal breaker for most jobs out here.
Thanks for the comments,
-RR
(That's my trademark signature too)