- #36
Chronos
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 11,440
- 750
Yep, makes a good launch pad for engineering work. I'm still a closet cosmologist though. PE licenses are not much in demand aside from civil engineering.
Astro_Dude said:The astrophysicists who get hired as engineers have extremely high coding ability, or have worked directly with the spacecraft /detectors.
tiffanydione said:I have a Bachelors in Astrophysics and have worked in engineering for 10+ years...
Having just a bachelors in Astrophysics can get one a lot of interviews they normally wouldn't get. It's based on your experience, your resume, and how well you sell yourself.
ParticleGrl said:I'm experiencing the same thing as Astro_Dude- I have a phd in high energy physics and rarely (if ever) get callbacks for engineering jobs. I get something like 1 callback per 300+ resumes sent out for various positions. Part of the issue is that 10+ years ago, unemployment was around 4%, and now its above 9% (and a whole lot of people are working part time and looking for full time labor). Odds are (today) if the company is looking for an engineer, they can find one, so why bother with the physicist who needs more training?
Another difference is almost certainly that phds suffer from the perception of "over-qualification."
tiffanydione said:LOL I too am unemployed although 4 weeks after moving to Colorado from Dallas I was offered a job. It fell through but I got that interview just because of my degree. They told me, "We've never met anybody with a degree in Astrophysics." With a PhD in it, with NASA losing the Shuttle program, it may be harder to find a job.
One thing about all the engineers out of work you may have overlooked is the fact there are a TON of engineers who are retiring. Just saying...
I'm glad I got my degree in what I wanted to study. If it over-qualifies me for a lot of jobs then so-be it. I wanted that degree and since I was paying $36K a year to go to TCU I was going to study what I wanted.
Good luck to all of you looking for work. I'm in the same boat.
tiffanydione said:Having just a bachelors in Astrophysics can get one a lot of interviews they normally wouldn't get. It's based on your experience, your resume, and how well you sell yourself.
tiffanydione said:LOL I too am unemployed although 4 weeks after moving to Colorado from Dallas I was offered a job. It fell through but I got that interview just because of my degree. They told me, "We've never met anybody with a degree in Astrophysics." With a PhD in it, with NASA losing the Shuttle program, it may be harder to find a job.
One thing about all the engineers out of work you may have overlooked is the fact there are a TON of engineers who are retiring. Just saying...
I'm glad I got my degree in what I wanted to study. If it over-qualifies me for a lot of jobs then so-be it. I wanted that degree and since I was paying $36K a year to go to TCU I was going to study what I wanted.
Good luck to all of you looking for work. I'm in the same boat.
Chronos said:A solid physics background is always in demand. Most AP jobs come through post grad work. And yes, I got caught by the engineering net, but, am still a closet astronomer.
twofish-quant said:One question that I do have... Have people been applying to finance jobs? I'm trying to keep in touch with the job market, and if the situation is bad enough so that the traditional outlet for Ph.D.'s is closed then things are really bad.
Something that deeply concerns me is that I think it's really bad for the economy if all of the jobs end up in finance, and I think there is something deeply, deeply broken with the US economy. On the other hand, first priority is self-preservation.
Tokage said:Hey! I'm a TCU Astrophysics Undergrad right now! Talk about a small world. I wonder if were allowed to discuss the physics of kicking badger butt here? ;)
I'm really worried about employment after graduating though. Did you take any avenues through TCU specifically that helped you with employment? I would much appreciate anything you could tell me or any advice you could give.