Astrophysicist Salary: Opportunities & Income

[vhbelvadi]

This brings Einstein's words to mind:
Physics is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it!

 

[Said Harbieh]

I'm near your grade, I'm in grade(year) 10 in australia. I'm planning to do astrophysics regardless of salary. I'm doing Advanced math, bio,chem,physics, next year in high school.

In Australia, where i am currently living, the subjects you do in high school in no way affect your choices in Uni. The only thing that's important is the mark for the yr 12 HSE.

 

[jk]

AND why does a f***** doctor make more then an astrophysicist, both of them require same hard work, just different fields. Lack of people in astrophysics?...o.0

Supply and demand

 

[Nano-Passion]

This brings Einstein's words to mind:
Physics is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it!

I don't like that quote. It implies that people who do physics for a living shouldn't be able to enjoy it.

 

[twofish-quant]

Supply and demand

Also I question the premise of the statement that astrophysicists make less than doctors. Astrophysics professors and senior research scientists can make around 100-120K which is comparable to what doctors make.

The other thing is that the range is even higher if you include people that have astrophysics backgrounds. My best guess is that my boss's boss's boss's boss who has an astrophysics Ph.D. makes close to $1M/year.

We hardly find money-minded astrophysicists any day.

Let me introduce you to one... Me...

Money is not the most important thing in my life (family is), but it is important, and I've found that it's a bad idea to ignore it.

I suppose, like Warren said, it's all about passion for the discipline. You don't have that, you might as well look some place else; but if you do, then the intellectual pleasure will be far more rewarding than any monetary benefits.

No it won't. The problem is that if you don't have a steady income, you are going to be too worried about other things to have time or energy thinking about the universe.

Also it's really not an either/or situation. I'd be willing to work as a professor for a lot less money than I make right now, but the job offers aren't coming in. By contrast, it's interesting that my boss's boss's boss's boss, who makes close to $1M/year, is also a faculty member at a really big name university, and got that job after making mega-bucks.

 

[Cosmologist.]

I am also in grade 10 and I also want to study astrophysics.It is indeed a very interesting topic.i have always gotten top marks in science.

 

[pskinner892]

Hi

If you still want todo physics you could do a major in phyics and a minor in biology and then you always have the option of becoming an astrophysicist or a radiographer which is kind of like a medical doctor that likes physics.