Career choices and concerns for UG applied physics.

[sarick]

applied physics and cs double major or applied physics/CE minor?

according to my advisor, there isn't a whole lot of career choices as Undergrad applied physics major. its either technician, part salesman... or go into grad school...
i want to go to grad school in the future but i want to work for few years before applying for grad school. my school offers optical science and engineering, biophysics, and cs double major.

what would be better to get a in engineering field? double major in applied physics and cs or optical science and engineering concentration and minor in computer science?

 

[D H]

I don't know who's hiring now. It's a tough time to be graduating.

Have you tried your school's career counseling center (or the equivalent)? I would hope they know who's hiring, and in what fields. Another option: This is career fair time. Check out when your school is holding career fairs. Go see which companies are sending reps. Talk to them about what kinds of grads they want.

 

[Choppy]

I disagree with your advisor. Physics opens up a lot of career possibilities, but the trick is figuring out how to market oneself. Coupling a physics degree with computer science or engineering will give you a lot of marketable skills.

 

[Andy Resnick]

according to my advisor, there isn't a whole lot of career choices as Undergrad applied physics major. its either technician, part salesman... or go into grad school...
<snip>

I (mostly) agree with Choppy- there *are* a lot of career choices for a bright person with a degree in applied physics. There are not a lot of *Physics* options for that person. There are a lot of engineering options (especially with a solid background in optics or cs. Biophysics, too soon too tell), and there is nothing wrong with being a highly skilled tech- they can make quite a bit of cash. Ditto sales reps.