[michaelwilson]

How can you be a "former quantum physicist"? Did you somehow unlearn everything that made you a quantum physicist?

Maybe you meant to say "formerly paid to be a quantum physicist"? :-)

[analog31]

I can't speak for the parent, but I have a physics degree from 30 years ago. Since then my career has diverged from academic physics to the point where it would take some effort to re-learn even my graduate level QM coursework, much less familiarize with current research topics. So I could see where the "former" status comes from.

[SinParadise]

>How can you be a "former quantum physicist"?

By disentangling himself with quantum physics. He was a quantum physicist, so I assume he knows how to do it.

[shoyer]

I guess "quantum physicist" can mean either an academic credential or a job title. In my case, I have the former but no longer the later. I finished my PhD nine years ago and no longer work in the field.