what even is motivation

I’ve been putting off making this post for months but it’s now the time of year when I would be going back to uni if I was still studying so it’s probably time to make this post.

I graduated uni in July and am currently not really doing much of anything so this blog is now on indefinite hiatus. I am no longer in education and so I feel like this blog has served its purpose.

I do plan on doing a PhD next year but who really knows if that will actually happen and if I’ll want to revive this blog then or not, which is the reason I’m using the term ”indefinite hiatus” rather than saying that I’m never posting here again. I may also decide to revive in some other context, potentially as a general physics blog or something else.

Oh no, I'm sorry if my previous post alarmed you! I was being super pessimistic because I got rejected for a job I really wanted and I was feeling bad about it.

I have no idea what the job market is like in other countries but here if you want to go into research or teaching then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. If you want to do something else then it might be worth researching what sort of skills and experience would be needed but I'd advise that for any discipline tbh?

If you, like I was when I went in, are studying astrophysics out of love and nothing more, then you might want to do some research into the sort of jobs that are available at the moment to see what your options are so that you can start thinking about it.

Additionally, I have made some choices that, while I don't regret, have made it a little harder for me. While at uni, I did as little materials physics as I could because I hated it and a lot of the industry jobs going want a solid grounding in that sort of stuff. I'm also personally really uncomfortable with the idea of working for the government or for big energy companies so that really limits me. The last problem is that, while I know what I want to do and have relevant experience, there really aren't that many jobs at all in that sector for someone in my position.

I am getting a little sick of it though like, I'm reading all these papers and people seem to just be going round in circles and its doubtful any progress is going to be made until observational evidence comes to light for one model over another