What jobs are there for a PHD in Physics?

Jow

I am still in high school so I know this is a bit early to start worrying. My dream job would be one in academia, but as I understand, that isn't going to be easy. What other jobs are there for someone with a PHD in physics?

eri

You can get a job at a national lab, NASA, working for the government or a defense contractor, teach high school, work for a power company of some sort, go into industry (working for companies like GE, Google, 3M, etc), go into politics, or many other things. There are entire websites devoted to finding a non-academic career with a PhD.

chill_factor

the fact that you're asking this question should be raising warning signs.

how come no one asks what jobs are avaliable for PhDs in electrical engineering or chemistry does after they graduate?

Jow

Why should my asking be raising warning signs? I am generally a very cautious person so I figure it would be prudent to come up with a plan B while still in high school.

The reason I am not asking what jobs are available for electrical engineering or chemistry is because I know there are plenty of jobs for those people in industry and what not. Besides, I really am mostly interested in physics.

Jow

Thanks for the suggestions. I was a bit worried that there were limited options for a physics PhD, but after your comment and some research of my own, I feel more confident.
(I know this may sound a tad morbid, but I'm hoping by the time I get into the job market the baby boomers will start to die off, leaving plenty of room for me.)

Lavabug

If you're still in high school, the prudent thing to do is to worry about your courses now and think about what you want out of a bachelors, because completing it does not guarantee you a place in a phd program.

Jow

I realize that completing a bachelors program doesn't guarantee me a place in a PhD program, but for the sake of argument I am just assuming that I receive a PhD. As to your comment about me worrying about my courses now, I have, and I have found that I don't have much to worry about. You can take that as me just being hubris but it is true. I have thought about what I want out of a bachelors and that is to get into a PhD program (but don't worry, I have a plan B if that fails). The only thing I didn't have a Plan B for was failing to enter academia, but I do now.

lisab

This old thread had some really good info:

http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=491468