Any astronomers/astrophysics/cosmologists here? Need some help

[FeelTheRT]

ok, here's the deal. I'm supposed to write this essay thing for school about a career field i want to be related with when i grow up. Being the slacker I am, i did not realize I had to interview someone in this field. Now if someone could answer my interview questions, that would be GREATLY appreciated, even if you are not in that profession but know a great deal about it. If you do not wish to give out your real name and all, you may email me [email protected] or IM me via AIM.

your name:

What type of collegs must you have graduated from and what type of degrees is recommended to become a cosmologist/astronomer?

What is the average starting salary/hours?

What are the working conditions? work past expected hours often?

Where do you have the best chance of getting a job as a cosmologist or astronomer?

what is the job outlook?


I appreciate ANY reply regaurding to these interview questions whether your an astronomer or not.

[einhander619]

PM factsoflife. He owns a telescope company and should be able to help you out.

[FeelTheRT]

dang it, hes not on. I PMed him, hopfully he will check his PM before 5AM tomorrow heh. Thanks for the info.


someone who could acutally answer some of these pretty darn soon would be appreciated even more.

[FactsOfLife]

Re: Any astronomers/astrophysics/cosmologists here? Need some help

Originally posted by FeelTheRT
ok, here's the deal. I'm supposed to write this essay thing for school about a career field i want to be related with when i grow up. Being the slacker I am, i did not realize I had to interview someone in this field. Now if someone could answer my interview questions, that would be GREATLY appreciated, even if you are not in that profession but know a great deal about it. If you do not wish to give out your real name and all, you may email me [email protected] or IM me via AIM.

your name:

What type of collegs must you have graduated from and what type of degrees is recommended to become a cosmologist/astronomer?

What is the average starting salary/hours?

What are the working conditions? work past expected hours often?

Where do you have the best chance of getting a job as a cosmologist or astronomer?

what is the job outlook?


I appreciate ANY reply regaurding to these interview questions whether your an astronomer or not.

Hmmm...

Well, let's be clear about what I am right off. In the astronomy field I am an amatuer. Like 99% of us stargazers are.

My company certainly involves the field but it started as a lot of them do for personal reasons. I wanted a big scope to look at more stuff in better detail.

I had a lot of cabinetry and woodworking skills from building pianos back in the day when this country(other than Steinway) still made pianos here, and from several cabinet shops I worked at and managed. The scopes I build are basically cabinetry with some fairly specialized hardware to put it together.

I already had my BS in mechanical engineering and did most of the design work in house on my spare time. My partner and best friend is also an avid amatuer astronomer and engineer.

I am about to finish my MBA and am using this to further my businesses viability in the world wide marketplace having started taking orders overseas and in Europe.

More to your questions...

Most any college has an astronomy course or courses that can start you in the right path.

After that, the sciences are going to be heavy in your field. Physics, cosmology, theoretical cosmology, those are the biggies IMO.

Most astronomy being done today is instrumented work, stuff like Interferometry, Near IR, that kind of thing.

Couldn't tell you what kind of salaries those people are pulling down. Probably the majority of it is in grants and fundings from foundations and the like.

For my business it is long hours. Sometimes the orders pile in, sometimes it's quiet. Never can tell.

I can tell you what a typical order looks like from a manufacturing and CR standpoint.

I'll get a call or an email asking for info on a scope.

I ask them questions like, what do you hope to see in the eyepiece? How comfortable are you on a ladder in the dark? Do you have any physical limitations on moving/setting up the scope by yourself?

Based on these questions I can get a good ide of what they want in a scope.

From there if an order is placed, I have to order the optics, order any special materials they want. My small line of scopes is made of hardwoods and brass. The customer can have the scope made of any wood they like. They pay the difference over the cost of the base Oak. the big glass is made of structural ApplePly plywood. It's a hardwood core/hardwood veneer plywood that machines nice and is strong as hell.

Once the optics are ordered and I have the exact specs for it I can start the cabinetry. This takes me about a week to build the mirror box, the rocker box and machine the mounting fittings.

The finish on the wood goes next. Customers can specify what finish they want as well, gloss, satin whatever.

Most of my business is I guess canned. That is to say, I already have done all the major engineering that makes my scopes unique from other Dobsonians. All I do is order up any special materials that are needed and build them.

I do every once in a while have an epiphany and something better gets installed. But for the most part it's established and I'm just cranking them out.

I know my business experience isn't exactly what you're asking after but it is in the astronomy field I guess.

The hours are long, the pay is good(finally) and I am my own boss.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

[FeelTheRT]

ooh thank you soo sooo very much. You are defently my good grace. Do you mind if I give you a name for my paper? How do you like name Nigel Hyatt?

[FactsOfLife]

lol Nigel...