3 Years Into Physics Major and Need to Make Money Now.

[Ascendant78]

In short, I finished my AA at one college and had been working on my Bachelors from my current college. However, due to family circumstances, I had to take a break this semester (and possibly next semester too). I now desperately need to find a decent paying job for financial stability.

I'm trying to find work I can do that would be at least somewhat related to what I am doing. I know anything in physics is just going to be way out of my league and will most likely want the PhD. I considered trying to work for local banks since I am great with money, but not sure how much potential they really have to work your way up from a teller without some sort of finance degree.

So, what this boils down to is if anyone has any general pointers of types of jobs that might be well suited for me as a 3rd year (going on 4th) physics major who is well versed in Latex, intermediate skills in C++, types about 100WPM, and knows computers inside and out (Windows mostly, only moderate Linux OS). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I also considered at home computer repair, but considering I live in a college town near a tech college, they are probably a dime a dozen in this area. Plus, I would prefer something with a more reliable and steady income.

 

[JakeBrodskyPE]

It is not physics, but you may find entry level jobs at a local utility. It is steady, stable work. They usually treat employees reasonably well because they want to keep them. Salaries are typically middle of the road, perhaps even somewhat lower than average, but the benefits are usually pretty good. Often there is educational assistance of some sort, though it isn't usually all that extravagant.

Sometimes there are operations certification requirements. Trust me, a physics student would have no trouble passing any of that. It is also useful experience for you to have. Larger experiments may need real power. Having been on the provider side may make you a very valuable member of the research team...

 

[ModusPwnd]

Not a good long term job, but tip jobs are a great way to make good money for a short term. I delivered pizza after graduation and averaged 20-25/hour. My wife waited tables for a similar income without the wear and tear on the car.

 

[Ascendant78]

Thanks. I will definitely look into my local utility company. As far as pizza delivery, my issue would definitely be the wear and tear on the car. As far as waiting tables, I have tried that in the past and I absolutely couldn't stand it. Thanks for the suggestions regardless, I appreciate the help.

 

[Vanadium 50]

As far as waiting tables, I have tried that in the past and I absolutely couldn't stand it

You will probably discover that the jobs that pay the best do so for a reason.

 

[StatGuy2000]

Not a good long term job, but tip jobs are a great way to make good money for a short term. I delivered pizza after graduation and averaged 20-25/hour. My wife waited tables for a similar income without the wear and tear on the car.

You were able to average $20-$25/hour delivering pizza, and your wife waited tables for a similar income? Even taking tips into account, there is no way that I can imagine anyone living in Canada making that kind of money delivering pizza or waiting tables.

Perhaps other Canadian PF posters can chime in on this.

 

[ModusPwnd]

Is the original poster in Canada?

(You can't even imagine it? I think your imagination is better than that ;) $8/hr wage, take 2 deliveries per run, 2-3 runs per hour. Just over 2.50 tip per average plus about a dollar per delivery for delivery fee. There are catches of course... You won't get 40 hours, more like 20-25 hours, you work from roughly 4pm to 8pm. You have car maintenance and gas also, but you might have trouble imagining how little that ends up being too...)

Some other jobs that come to my mind are tutoring and technician. I tutored at many community colleges, made about $10/hr. My peers would do private tutoring too for $20+/hr. It can be hard to get business privately tutoring without being based in a college. I now work at a semiconductor fab and our process technicians and maintenance technicians only technically require a 2 year degree. Getting the job can be hard though, beacuse experience is king. They can make very good money with the right experience though... The techs have a large range, they can start out at 30/40k and can make up to 80/90k.