National companies hiring recent college graduates?

d3nat

I'm looking for some big companies (big as in not regionally specific in the US) who are currently hiring (soon to be) college graduates.

A friend of mine suggested Raytheon since he got a job with them last year after graduating. Any further suggestions/companies similar to this?

I'll be graduating with a physics degree, but I also have good programming skills.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

Lavabug

If you're a US citizen, try defense contractors like Raytheon and others: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman. I know the latter actually does fundamental research (ie: things like building the James Webb telescope). Look into internships and what not, these companies hire recent physics graduates or so I am told.

Another don't forget the public sector like the Dept. of Energy or the various National Labs.

Also try optics companies like this one, which specifically states they want physicists:
http://www.ofsoptics.com/careers/vie...1&txtJobID=156

mfb

Are there any big companies not hiring collage graduates? That would surprise me.

d3nat

Yes, I am a US citizen. Thank you for the company suggestions!

This may be a silly question, but will government departments/labs higher someone with only a bachelors?

d3nat

I don't know. Hence the question... I'm not familiar with many big companies, and I don't live in a region where physics and physics companies are exactly popular. Basically, I'm just asking for some company suggestions so I know where to look.

I want to eventually go to graduate school, but I think I may work a few years first to save some money since undergraduate left me absolutely broke.

Lavabug

The Dept. of Energy has summer intern programs for graduating physics seniors in a variety of fields(solar energy, nuclear/accelerators...), but unfortunately the deadline for application has already passed. I have seen intern positions advertised that start at different periods throughout the year though, so you might want to comb through their pages to see if you can find something.

Something I have been suggested which I will try if I don't go to grad school this year is hospitals/clinics, as a medical physics technician(ie: working under a proper medical physicist). Apparently smaller hospitals are more willing to hire people with just a bachelors for these positions.

Another big name contractor that comes to mind: BAE Systems.

And in case you haven't seen this page yet, AIP's "Who's Hiring Physics Bachelors", by state:
http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/states/state.html#

Ben Espen

Government labs that hire physics Bachelors include Brookhaven National Lab, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator. I base this off a glance at the alumni page from my own department.