Physics Phd
So im currently a Computer Science major at UCSC and was thinking of doing a Phd in Theoretical Physics, do you think its worth it? or would it be better to just learn by myself?
I'd love to encourage you to follow your dreams, but I've found that advanced degrees in physics don't mean much to non-physics employers.
The prospect of finance may not seem appealing, but it pays the bills and a lot of it is pretty fascinating. The same why you studied a lot of the phenomena that make the physical world function, finance and economics can satisfy the same curiosity that physics did for you, since it often involves macro and micro laws of how the economy, firms and people function.
And if you eventually feel dirty for being part of that machinery, you can always leave after 1-3 years with more skills, more employable and with a greater understanding of how the world actually functions behind the scenes.
Even if you start at the bottom in the finance world, you'll still be making great money. You'll also find more of your physics and natural sciences cohorts among your new colleagues that you would expect, especially on the quant/analysis side of the industry (not on the trading side).
(FWIW I studied physics for 3 years before switching majors, ended up in finance after college and switched to software engineering and product management after leaving finance).
The main question is, though, do you LOVE physics? That's the only reason for doing a PhD. If you just ABSOLUTELY have to do this thing ALL the time.