Physicist: Academic career or Science (Non-Academic)?

[mike115]

I am interested in being a physicist, but I want to know what kinds of careers most theoretical physicists pursue. If I want the opportunity to do research and further advance our knowledge and understanding of physics, should I pursue a career in academia? Would I get a chance to do that working for government or industry?

I know it's a somewhat vague question, but thank you very much for your help!

[Choppy]

The most direct path, with the most intellectual freedom is academia. Generally once you branch out into industry or government positions the work has a more specific purpose, however lots of interesting work comes out of applied science.