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What all possible jobs can I do now at the age of 18 to reach my goal of becoming an astrophysicist?

#astrophysics #astronomy #physics #smallJob

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Tom’s Answer

Best advice I can give? Find an astrophysicist near you. Try to make an appointment to visit with them asking if they would answer the question above. You really want to get a few minutes with them in person if possible since frequently someone in a position like they have now, was in a position you are in now, and they may feel some sense of obligation to help. And, if you can meet with them in person you stand a better chance of developing an on-going connection. This is early networking actually.

Oh, and did I mention you can try visiting with more than ONE astrophysicist on this??? No need to stop with the first one's opinion. More networking....and who knows maybe it might lead to an internship someplace! Good luck.

Tom recommends the following next steps:

Find astrophysicists nearby. Start getting in touch. :)
Thank you comment icon I liked your reply. It can help me out. But what shall I do if I can't find an astrophysicist nearby? Is there any alternate way. Akshay
Thank you comment icon Hello Akshay. The concept I'm suggesting is based on networking. Networking means asking your field of contacts for help in achieving a professional goal. You begin with your friends, family, teachers etc asking them, essentially, 'can you suggest someone I could contact in the astrophysics field for career information?' Someone may say, "well I don't know any astrophysicists but you might contact an acquaintance of mine at the community college who teaches physics. Maybe they have an idea". Ok so you contact that person...being sure to mention the name of the person referring you.... and ask them for advice AND! ask them for the name of someone else you can contact to broaden your information base. Then you contact that person and repeat the process. This works. Tom Behan
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Lorinda’s Answer

Any experience in computing or research is likely to help you as you work towards your goal. You'll probably want to start doing research in college to prepare for an astrophysics degree. If you're already in college, doing computationally based research for a professor in a field other than astrophysics would still be helpful experience - you can do something in math, science or most any engineering field.
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