As an undergraduate or master's level research student in our experimental particle physics group, you will have an interesting set of experiences. You will clearly learn some facts about particle physics instrumentation and some specific things about what leptons do.
There is the possibility that you will accidentally think that yourself and other people you see in our research group had an experience that was so narrow that you couldn't possibly succeed at companies like Google, Seagate, or a startup technology firm, environmental technology, finance, government or NGO policy, or even raising your future 2.2 children.
In fact, I know physics-types including some from UMD (variously B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.) who are currently succeeding in all of those fields, in jobs with Google, Intel, Seagate, Credit Suisse, plus several small niche or startup companies doing technology product development, and several colleges and universities around the world. Lets prevent this accidental misunderstanding now.
As a student spending a year or more in our research lab you will learn about particle physics, which is pretty cool. And visit Fermilab to see particle physics in action. But you will also obtain or refine many if not all of these skills, all valued by both employers and society.
1. Beyond problem solving. You will dig down through frustrating layers of complexity to the bottom of the issue and come back up and express the correct quantitative answer to your question, with its uncertainty. Or perhaps you will answer a question different than you had originally supposed. The next time your work in any field requires you to do this, you will be fearless. This is one of the distinguishing skills employers expect in someone trained in physics.
2. Post-coursework goal setting. You will break your larger project into intermediate goals and use those to build a record of accomplishment. Soon, you will never be driven by a weekly problem-set monthly exam schedule, so how will you ever accomplish something? This is how.
3. Fearless algorithm development. You will program and (debug programs) with speed and thoroughness. If you enjoy programming, then you will like this. If you think "programming, eh, not my most favorite" then speed and thoroughness will be a coping mechanism to get you to the parts that you really enjoy playing with. Your professor is in the latter category, and in his old age still programs the socks off of supposed CS and Linux athletes. And its okay, because everywhere in science and technology advanced computing skills and programming enable real creativity.
4. The amazing view. You will appreciate that the natural world is both richly beautiful, complex, and yet richly austere. This appreciation will color your view of physics, chemistry, biology, geology, dynamic systems, finance, politics; wherever you go in your future career, even if it isn't specifically particle physics.
5. Create. You will balance the creative what-if and universe explorer side of your project with the accomplishment oriented deadline driven side of your project. Its like how they described working at Google in the past decade, but without the astronomical salary.
6. Write. You will communicate technical details and conclusions about your work in formal writing and in formal presentations. UMD alumni I speak with consistently proclaim that formal writing mostly and formal presentations additionally are key to their professional advancement. This entry should not be #6 on the list, it should be #1, but if you saw it at the top, you would probably stop reading.
7. Lead the team. Your work and accomplishments will depend on another person's work, and vice versa. You will see what succeess in the context of teamwork and dependency.