You could study computer science and then go to a large corporation to help them maximise their ad revenue, or you could study and do something like this instead. Depends what motivates you.
I upvoted you because there is truth to this sentiment. But I want to add that physics is IMO one of the hardest fields intellectually of our time. Just to get your feet wet, you need to be well versed in an intimidating array of mathematical disciplines. DiffEQ, Discrete Math, Computer Science, Topology, Differential Geometry, High Level calculus,... the list goes on even at the undergrad level. To make a meaningful contribution is quite a feat.
I have massive respect for those who bravely tackle the frontiers of Physics; some physics majors have a broader understanding of Math than a mathematician! Though importantly, your average mathematician will have a much deeper understanding of more focused topics.
I don’t mean to suggest that any of Math, Physics, CompSci, etc is fundamentally harder than the others. Each field presents different challenges! But they are also intimately related IMO: the recent MIP*=RE proof has convinced me. In short, we’re all on the same side.
Just my 2 cents, but I would suggest from a programmer's perspective, a method of entry might be in game programing. You can explore a bunch of really interesting mathematical properties of the Universe in isolation and visualize (and even feel) them to some extent.
On my TODO list for example is to take a look at this project that maps a world to non-Euclidean space [1]. Writing these "simulations" and exploiting their nature to make interesting interactions is just unbelievably awesome.
P.S. Another interesting one (by the same person) is "MarbleMarcher" [2].
I get what you're saying, but people learn the math in 4-6 years or so, so while it's definitely a lot of work (not that many other things that people spend that much time learning), it's also fairly well bounded. You know that if you study hard for long enough you'll know most of what you need to know, and then the parts you don't know yet, you have enough awareness of to know when you need to learn more about them.
I have massive respect for those who bravely tackle the frontiers of Physics; some physics majors have a broader understanding of Math than a mathematician! Though importantly, your average mathematician will have a much deeper understanding of more focused topics.
I don’t mean to suggest that any of Math, Physics, CompSci, etc is fundamentally harder than the others. Each field presents different challenges! But they are also intimately related IMO: the recent MIP*=RE proof has convinced me. In short, we’re all on the same side.