- #1
drohhr
- 4
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I am trying to figure out which direction I should head towards in terms of employment/gradschool. I am aware jobs doing "actual physics" are few and far between, but as an undergrad, I am naively opportunistic. I have a few extra slots in my university course schedule, so I want to slide in some advanced physics or EE courses. I want to make the most out of these extra classes; I'd be even more motivated knowing the course is relevant to the current demand. I am asking you guys & gals about the industry so I can best choose these courses, and in turn, making myself as employable as possible. I'd greatly appreciate ANY replies to ANY of the three questions I have.
I read this post on Reddit from a couple years ago saying how the nuclear side of things has great job prospects. (1) Is/Was this accurate? If not, which subfields/disciplines are the most in demand as of right now?
(2) Are physics-focused government jobs (maybe National Labs? NASA?) more common than physics-focused private sector jobs? If you're anti-government-jobs or anti-private-sector-jobs, feel free to share thoughts/experiences you have.
(3) As someone who is unfit a PhD, would I notice a large increase in opportunities if I continued on to receive a terminal Masters degree?
I, of course, have researched these concerns on my own, but I cannot seem to find detailed & up-to-date info. Even aip.org's most recent document discussing employment uses data from 2014 graduates. Trying to gain insight from the people actually employed or knowledgeable about employment (you all) seems like the most logical next move for me to make.
TL;DR: Which physics subfields/concentrations/disciplines are the most in-demand right now?
I read this post on Reddit from a couple years ago saying how the nuclear side of things has great job prospects. (1) Is/Was this accurate? If not, which subfields/disciplines are the most in demand as of right now?
(2) Are physics-focused government jobs (maybe National Labs? NASA?) more common than physics-focused private sector jobs? If you're anti-government-jobs or anti-private-sector-jobs, feel free to share thoughts/experiences you have.
(3) As someone who is unfit a PhD, would I notice a large increase in opportunities if I continued on to receive a terminal Masters degree?
I, of course, have researched these concerns on my own, but I cannot seem to find detailed & up-to-date info. Even aip.org's most recent document discussing employment uses data from 2014 graduates. Trying to gain insight from the people actually employed or knowledgeable about employment (you all) seems like the most logical next move for me to make.
TL;DR: Which physics subfields/concentrations/disciplines are the most in-demand right now?