Thank you for uploading this talk. It has been really lovely to watch it! I believe one of the best things any teacher can do is to humanize themselves with personal anecdotes and humour. It makes them more approachable and engaging rather than esoteric figures giving lectures in a podium.
What an honor to take some of your edX offerings back in the day! Please upload a cropped still from this image of you looking into the camera to read your notes to your imdb page. That'd be funny!😂
Good to hear from someone in the edX days! Good times. To put a picture on IMDB you have to have a paid account. It is tempting but I decided so few people would see it, not worth the $.
Weird question for me to ask in a youtube comments section, but I am conflicted on what to do. I am a student at the University of Central Missouri for a major in mechanical engineering technology with a minor in physics and am currently working for Black and Veatch doing something i feel like I did not need school to do. I feel trapped there and they don't seem to support my desire to become a professional engineer. I am now considering transferring to KU to work towards a physics degree and to target spacex for employment just as I have always wanted to do. The problem is I feel like I am going to have to burn this bridge to make it happen and the financial burden will be very difficult in the near future. I know for a fact that civil engineering doesn't interest me and I do not feel like I am being used to my fullest potential. Everything is telling me to make the leap but I am still on the fence. Is there any advice that you might offer if you happen to see this. Your content has been very valuable to me by clearing up confusion on several concepts, and I appreciate your videos very much.
And you are right, professors will go through hoops for students. My physics professor is teaching me 1 on 1 because technically, a physics minor does not exist at UCM. He is teaching me for free as he is getting nothing from the course costs. Now there is one more student enrolled with me. UCM is letting all STEM majors essentially die though by miss used funds and is not trying to grow any programs.
That is a tough one! I know a lot about physics but not much about the real world. In general, I would say to go for it. I tend to do that because I don't like to ever have regrets that I didn't try something or take a risk. However, I think it depends on the financial risk related to your personal situation. For example, is it just a risk for you? Or also for a family? (I'm not asking you to tell me, just rhetorical) I suspect you would find more intellectual fulfillment at a school that is paying more attention to your interest, and at a company that is at the forefront of a new field. But long term, most jobs slowly drive you toward managing others to do the fun stuff. So long term Veatch and even SpaceX might not be that different. But short term you might be happier if it all worked out.
@Jason-Hafner Currently I don't feel like much of what I have learned applies to what I will be doing in the foreseeable future. Civil engineering techs have a very standardized role and I would likely be stuck working in CAD for a long time. It's great for hobbies outside of work because of the balance it brings. But I love challenging myself and working on complex problems because of the rewarding feeling you have when you do it. I think my mind is set on this goal I just need to think it through more. I would like to work in aerospace or somewhere where physics plays a major role. It has been the one thing that drives me from the beginning of college. I just don't feel like I landed where I wanted. I would like more opinions on this of course. My greatest experiences has been asking professors about this because their advice is more authentic and they know the fields. I appreciate schools like yours because they care about reputation, which is something my university could do better. I will of course reach out to some of my trusted professors as well as professors at KU before I make this commitment. I think I can do it without a doubt and I would be better off for it, but obviously I need more diverse perspectives before I commit fully.
