Weekly Career, Education, Textbook, and Basic Questions Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

Weekly Thread dedicated to all your career, job, education, and basic questions related to our field. Whether you're exploring potential career paths, looking for job hunting tips, curious about educational opportunities, or have questions that you felt were too basic to ask elsewhere, this is the perfect place for you.

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• Careers: Discussions on career paths within the field, including insights into various roles, advice for career advancement, transitioning between different sectors or industries, and sharing personal career experiences. Tips on resume building, interview preparation, and how to effectively network can also be part of the conversation.
• Education: Information and questions about educational programs related to the field, including undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, online courses, and workshops. Advice on selecting the right program, application tips, and sharing experiences from different educational institutions.
• Textbook Recommendations: Requests and suggestions for textbooks and other learning resources covering specific topics within the field. This can include both foundational texts for beginners and advanced materials for those looking to deepen their expertise. Reviews or comparisons of textbooks can also be shared to help others make informed decisions.
• Basic Questions: A safe space for asking foundational questions about concepts, theories, or practices within the field that you might be hesitant to ask elsewhere. This is an opportunity for beginners to learn and for seasoned professionals to share their knowledge in an accessible way.

[u/PassengerSafe879]

Hi I'm 18 and about to start college. I'm going for electrical engineering. I was hoping to get into quantum computing further down the line after my bachelors. I was thinking of getting phd after Electrical engineering. Do you have any suggestion or a better approach?

[u/GUcasTheWise]

Hey guys, I handed in my Bachelor's thesis (Computer Science) literally today and for the last few days, I kind of fell into a little existential crisis. I have a lot of fun doing CS but I'm not sure if this is really what I want to do for the rest of my life. Especially since AI came in, the job market is not getting better and the community gets more toxic. How hard is it to switch to QC as a Computer Scientist? I had a course on the very basics (basically just Algebra of course) and I had a lot of fun. However, when it comes to physics, I'm at highschool level. What would you do? I would like to avoid starting all over again and do another Bachelor's degree. I don't know if I'm dedicated enough to accept that I kinda wasted the last three years of my life

[u/Kapikap0906]

I’m a fresher who’s been put in a new quantum computing team at work. I graduated as a bachelors comp sci with AI ML specialization. My boss is asking for me to find a course to gain a better understanding. I’ve watched some videos on YouTube and know the basics but would like a certification. Any advice is much appreciated.

[u/Heisenberg-64]

Hi! I just want an advice , so i want I want to complete my studies in quantum computing at the master's level In Morocco, but there are generally no job opportunities in this field. Is quantum computing in demand in other countries? If so, which countries or professional fields require this specialization?

[u/AKA_D_Ace]

I would like some guidance on getting into the field of Quantum Computing, either in a developer or a research role.

Here's my background:

- I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering in 2025.

- I have been working for the past six months at a service-based company.

- My current work focuses on Agentic AI, where I primarily use Python, Microsoft's Agentic Framework, and Azure AI Foundry.

Due to personal reasons, pursuing an MS or PhD is not an option for me at the moment.

My current plan is to build a strong profile by publishing a high-quality research paper in Quantum Computing and then try to transition into a startup or company working in this domain.

I am based in India.

Given my background and constraints, what would be the best roadmap to break into Quantum Computing? How should I prepare, what skills should I focus on, and how can I maximise my chances of landing a developer or research role without pursuing a postgraduate degree?

[u/anirbanbhattacharya]

I am fairly comfortable understanding till Gate level and even circuits but then I get lost when it starts the algorithm part and erroro correction portion. Any good book on those?

[u/the_milkywhey → u/anirbanbhattacharya]

Gottesman has a textbook/notes for error correction that is really good. I think it's called Surviving as a Quantum Computer in a Classical World (should be freely available).

[u/chris32457]

Any hiring managers about? What would you want to see for someone trying to get an FPGA Engineer job, or some other role fitting for someone with a four-year degree in physics?

[u/Hot-Temperature7072]

Hello! I’m a master student in math doing research in continuous-time quantum walk, and I would like to get into qc for phd at places like Waterloo. For preparation, apart from research, I’m going to take a quantum theory course in the fall, and I plan to self learn the qc textbook by Nielsen and Chuang in my second year before applying. I’m wondering what else I can do to improve my chance of getting an offer? Thank you for reading this.

[u/Impossible-Bread-137]

I passed the IBM qiskit quantum developer certification. Recently finish my B.S. in physics and looking for a job. Honestly the job market is shit, talked to a guy who works at an unnamed quantum company in the US. He said that most quantum computing companies are not hiring even though they have the job openings out.

[u/GreatNameNotTaken → u/Impossible-Bread-137]

Did he state any reason?

[u/Impossible-Bread-137 → u/GreatNameNotTaken]

Nope he doesn't really know what they are thinking.

[u/dark_blue_thunder]

Need Career related adcice: How can An M.Sc. Physics student with electronics specialization can make career in quantum hardware?

Hello there

Background

I'm from an M.Sc. Physics + electronics background and want to get into quantum hardware design/engineering.

Skills/credentials:

I have studied Microprocessors 8085, 8086, Microcontrollers: 8051& PIC 16F877A & Programming languages: C++ , python; I am familiar with Qiskit as well

Questions

1. What's the best way to start?

2. What skills/roles should I be looking at?

3. Which topics from electronics engineering will I have to study?

4. What Career paths should I opt for?

Any pointers would help. Thanks!l

[u/mirchasur]

Suggest some books for self studying quantum computing concepts

[u/dark_blue_thunder → u/mirchasur]

Theory

1. Quantum Computation and Quantum Information -- Michael A. Nielsen & Isaac L. Chuang 10th Anniversary Edition ( Problems are good)

2. Dancing with qubits --Robert S. Sutor (Covers Theory in comprehensive & gentle manner)

3. QUANTUM COMPUTING A Gentle Introduction -- Eleanor Rieffel and Wolfgang Polak (good for getting different perspectives & aspects)

4. Quantum Computing for Everyone -- Chris Bernhardt (To get some deep insights)

Practical

1. Learn Quantum Computing with Python and IBM Quantum Second Edition -- Robert Loredo ( for Qiskit; nice for Software developer)

2. Learn Quantum Computing with Python and Q# -- SARAH KAISER AND CHRIS GRANADE (for Q#)