Sky & Telescope September 1989 [antikvár]

FOCAL POINTIs an Astronomy Degree Useful?IF THE CLASS of 1978 from University College London is typical, graduates with degrees in astronomy do well in a variety of fields even astronomy.I suspect that, like me, all the fresh young faces entering that august institution in 1975 planning to study astronomy had heard dire warnings from jDarents and career advisers. "But how will you earn a living?"True, an astronomy degree probably does not make you most employers' immediate top choice. And given the scarcity of astronomical jobs, sooner or later you will probably have to convince someone in another field that your astronomical training is relevant, or at least useful, for the job at hand. Many potential employers will fail to realize that you had to learn mathematics and physics, not stargazing and horoscope casting.If you are one of the few who goes on to graduate studies and professional research, you will hear another warning: "You'll never get rich." Since many of these fears particularly the last are well founded, what should parents and friends say to students who wish to major in astronomy? And if you are one of the young hopefuls yourself, should you heed your elders' warnings?When at the age of five I decided to become an astronomer, relatives and teachers were rather amused. But as I got older they became concerned. In my native Brazil, female astronomers are not considered to be as normal as mango pie. Eventually I won my mother's support by making a deal: I agreed to take French (which I disliked) and typing (which I detested) so that, as she put it, I would be able to earn a living despite my strange choice of subject.Surprisingly, my male relatives were more encouraging. Grandfather, who thought that astronomy consisted of comet hunting, was very pleased at the prospect of someday having the family name on one.So off 1 went to London, joining 27 men and three other women who had come to the university to learn about the mysteries of the universe. What we did learn in the first year was math and physics, with a bit of general and practical astronomy to hold our interest and some spherical trigonometry to test our mettle.More math and physics followed. In our third and final year at last! we got to use big telescopes and experience the agony of cloudy nights and the joy of obtaining usable data during the few clear intervals. In June, 1978, 27 of us celebrated our graduation at an "end-of-sentence" dinner and then went our separate ways, except for a handful of us who stayed on at the alma mater to study for Ph.D.'s.A decade later we gathered at a reunion dinner to swap our stories and learn about absent friends. Remarkably, even the few colleagues who could not be contacted had met one of those present within the last couple of years, so we were able to ascertain fairly accurately just what had befallen all 27 of us.Ten enrolled in astronomy Ph.D. programs, but only six completed them. Of these, only four remain active in research. The most common reason for dropping out was loss of interest in the subject, though the lure of industry's higher salaries and the almost complete lack of tenured astronomy posts in the United Kingdom also entered in. In view of the much-talked-about scarcity of women astronomers, it is pleasing to note that three of the four of us who stayed in astronomy as professionals are female.Some of my classmates have remained involved in astronomy without becoming research scientists. TXvo program computers at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma. Others teach astronomy at evening classes, and several observe the sky using their own telescopes. (Astronomy has one great advantage over other technical subjects: you cannot easily become an amateur dentist or molecular geneticist, but you can make contributions to astronomy without becoming a professional.)What about those who chose other paths? The fear that astronomy graduates are unemployable seems, from our class's experience at least, groundless. The computer training we received in college was limited (remember, this was just at the infancy of the personal-computer revolution), but it was good enough to prepare 14 of us for careers in programming and systems analysis. Schoolteaching attracted a couple more, including one of the Ph.D.'s.If these can be considered predictable outlets, some of my classmates have proven that astronomers can do almost anything. Bill works in telecommunications, Sarah in medical physics, and Michael in archaeology. Ken recently took his final exams in acupuncture, and Bob just completed his Ph.D. in zoology! After graduation Eddie took a summer job as a milkman, liked it, and stayed. At the reunion he found that a fellow graduate lives within his delivery area. They had not yet met across the doorstep, though the scene surely would have been worth watching.So, astronomy graduates seem to be not only employable but also versatile. If I may draw on my own and my classmates' experience, I would advise young people just entering college to ignore pessimistic advice and go for astronomy. Despite the cloudy nights and the spherical trigonometry, we had a great time during our course of study and got rewarding jobs at the end of it.ROSALY LOPESThe author is a research associate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Ptlsadena, California, where she studies planetary volcanism.Focal Point invites contributions from readers who wish to comment on contemporary issues in astronomy and space science.236 Sky & Telescope, September, 1989