Astronomer and Astrophysicist Employment

[Sullivan Stockwell]

Not sure if this is the right place, but I don’t know where else to post it. Astronomers and astrophysicists seem to be pretty similar these days. By first obtaining a degree in physics related to these careers, are these career paths almost interchangeable? (Considering that astronomers might often use a certain amount of physics and astrophysicists often use the data of astronomers).

Basically, would I be able to seek employment in fields of astronomy even if I was officially an astrophysicist? And vice versa.

 

[Choppy]

If you start out pursuing an undergraduate degree in physics, both astrophysics and astronomy will be options for you when it comes time to apply to graduate school. After you do a PhD, things get a little more specialized. If you do a PhD that specializes in radio-astronomy you likely won't be competitive for an astrophysics post-doctoral position modelling neutron star collisions and vice-versa, though I'm sure there are lots of examples of cross-over between the sub-fields.

What's most important to recognize with either direction is that you'll want some kind of backup plan. There are a lot more PhDs that graduate in these fields than there are long-term jobs in in them.