Physics A Few Questions - Thinking about going into physics

[Solace]

Hey! I'm a high school senior about to graduate and I'm trying to decide what to do with my future.

I really love physics. What kind of job could I get with a Phd in physics? Is the job market saturated or is it open? How much could I expect to earn?

If I majored in undergrad physics could I go to grad school for engineering? Are there more jobs available for Phd engineers? How much could I expect to earn?

Thanks!

 

[ZapperZ]

We get so many of these questions that I'm going to make a FAQ thread for this forum. In the mean time, please look at this statistics collection from the AIP that should answer almost all, if not all, of your question.

http://www.aip.org/statistics/

Please note, and this is not just for the OP, that your employment chances, how much you can make, and what is open to you depends very much on where you are. So if you intend to post questions such as this, you should also clearly state where you are located. It is of little use if someone points to you the statistics at the AIP webpage while you're somewhere in Africa, for instance.

Zz.

 

[maverick280857]

If I majored in undergrad physics could I go to grad school for engineering?

Yes.

Are there more jobs available for Phd engineers?

What kind of jobs, and more than what?

 

[Ki Man]

Please note, and this is not just for the OP, that your employment chances, how much you can make, and what is open to you depends very much on where you are. So if you intend to post questions such as this, you should also clearly state where you are located. It is of little use if someone points to you the statistics at the AIP webpage while you're somewhere in Africa, for instance.

Zz.

I am in a similar situation as the OP. I am entering college as a physics major next year at the Univ. of California, Riverside (UCR). I have always aimed for a physics PhD, but now I'm starting to open up to engineering a bit too. I'd like to stay in Southern California, and I know there is an abundance of engineering opportunities but I'm not as sure about what I'll be able to find in physics outside of university jobs. (I've considered doing both physics(solid state) and EE, but I'm not sure that would be a good use of time to double major when I could use that extra time in research, so I'll stick with only physics for now).