For me, after A-levels I did 4 years at university to get my Masters and then started my PhD (which is another 4 years in the UK).
One of the cool things about astronomy is that you don’t need super specialised equipment to do it as a hobby; so you can learn a lot of practical skills you need for astronomy in your garden or in a club! Showing that you have interest in your area outside of school is helpful to argue you case when applying for positions as well 🙂
Hello Sheldon,
That’s a tough question to answer as I think it depends a lot on the job and also a bit on luck too!
My job is as a “post-doctoral” researcher and the position is for 3 years. Before this, I did an undergraduate degree which took 4 years and a PhD which took another 4 years. I think that to be an astrophysics researcher, this is a fairly typical path. I’m not too sure what I want to do after this job yet, but if I decide to look for a permanent astrophysics researcher job then that can take some time and people often do several shorter contracts one after the other.
But a job in astronomy doesn’t have to mean being a researcher, it could be in for example science communication, in space technology / designing or operating telescopes, or even working in a museum. How long it takes really depends on the job – some astronomy jobs you can get into straight after doing a university degree without having to do a PhD.
I agree with what other people have answered so far, but I’d also add that studying for a PhD is not like being an undergraduate student, it’s more like a job. You do astronomy research, with someone showing you the ropes and helping you at every turn, and you also get paid a monthly salary, usually something around £14,000 a year (and you don’t pay tax; and still get to call yourself a student so no council tax etc.). Don’t let finances put you off doing a PhD!
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Rebecca commented on :
Hi Sheldon,
I agree with what other people have answered so far, but I’d also add that studying for a PhD is not like being an undergraduate student, it’s more like a job. You do astronomy research, with someone showing you the ropes and helping you at every turn, and you also get paid a monthly salary, usually something around £14,000 a year (and you don’t pay tax; and still get to call yourself a student so no council tax etc.). Don’t let finances put you off doing a PhD!
Tom commented on :
Light years!