Astro Physics Job Opportunities: What Can I Do?

[Dani Clark]

I've been looking and I really can't find too many opportunities for jobs in Astro Physics. I'm starting to apply to colleges and that's what I want to major in, but I'd really like to know what I can do with that degree.

 

[Vanadium 50]

You will not be an astrophysicist with a BS in astrophysics (just like you won't be a historian with a BA in history or a psychologist with a BA in psychology).

 

[ModusPwnd]

I've been looking and I really can't find too many opportunities for jobs in Astro Physics. I'm starting to apply to colleges and that's what I want to major in, but I'd really like to know what I can do with that degree.

The answer is as you have found. There are not too many job opportunities in Astrophysics. In fact, there are precious few. The top performers with PhDs and postdocs get the jobs as actual researchers in Astrophysics, usually at a university. The rest use the skills and knowledge they got from studying astrophysics during their PhD to do something else. Often it seems to be computer programming, numerical algorithms, modeling since this is what students usually do when doing a PhD in astrophysics.

I don't suggest doing a BS in astrophysics and leaving it at that. Consider graduate school or double majoring.