Expert: Tom Whiting - 1/14/2008

Question
QUESTION: I am now working as a Quality Engineer(24 years) after having done my engineering in Mechanical Engineering. I am interested in making a career in Astronomy. Please let me know if its possible and how I need to go about it. Is there any course I need to do before that.

Thank You!

Best Regards!

Sarath

ANSWER: Hi Sarath,
You don't give country, or which schools, or place of
employment, or degrees (BS, Masters, Doctorate) or age,
which I can infer by adding 24 to (?) 21 to get 45 years
old.  I would guess you are not a North American, but
I can only give my opinion from a Canada/USA standpoint of
employment.

Well, anything is possible, but is it practicable?
I too was a Quality/Process Engineer for Texas Instruments Inc. for a number of years, even after a 7 year tour of active duty in the US Air Force....B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from a small liberal arts college, and with a love of astronomy.  But I knew that, at least in the USA, to earn a decent living as a professional astronomer, you need a Doctorate in either Astronomy or Astrophysics, or be working on your Doctorate Degree, to work at a big observatory because the competition is so intense in that field. And I was younger, at 33 years old. I would have had to go back to school for a number of years, 4 or 5 years, for a doctorate in that field, and it just wasn't worth it.  So I decided to remain in engineering (for the nice money) and just take up astronomy as a hobby, rather than a source of employment, and that was the correct thing to do for me. That's the nice thing about astronomy,
you can always be your own boss by being an amateur
astronomer, unlike other subjects in science...we never hear of amateur chemists, physicists, or amateur meteorologists.  But it can be done that way in astronomy.
And at least in the USA, with a deep economic recession
appearing soon on the horizon, (In fact, I believe we
in the USA ARE already in economic recession for the next year or two)....if I was still employed, I would not be making a drastic employment change at this time.

I can't know about how you currently feel about your current job, but I would not be "changing horses in mid-stream" as we say...knowing that I'd be nearly 40+ years old before earning a doctorate in the field, then trying to find employment, and then competing against the 25 year old Doctorate people, in that same field.  To me, that was just not practical, so that's why I went the amateur route instead of professional field. Plus, your astronomy time is then your own, and you can work at your own pace, since you are your own boss.
Hope all this helps,
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting, retired...
Erie, PA  USA



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much! I didn't elaborate on anything because I didn't frankly expect to get a reply. Am 24 years old. So that should change a lot of your explanation or wouldn't that. Yeah, even I don't believe in changing streams often. I am from India. worked as a CAD/CAM engineer and now on as an Environmental project. Am thinking about a field diversion only because am that interested in Astronomy. Please advise. Thank you for your patience.

Answer
Well, I am not familar with India, but I believe one of
our allexperts is from India and works there as an astronomer, or some form of astronomy, by the name of
Jayendra Upadhye, under the allexperts in Astronomy.
  
So I would highly recommend that you ask the exact same
question of him....let him know that you are in India,
and I'm sure he would answer a fellow countryman.
Clear Skies,
Tom Whiting
Erie, PA  USA