Finding work with a phyiscs bachelor in the US

[Shukie]

I know that over here it's not very common to quit school after receiving your bachelor and not continue for your master's degree, so your chances of finding suitable work with only a bachelor's degree are slim. What's it like in the US? I heard just having a bachelor's degree there is pretty common.

 

[FrancisZ]

I know that over here it's not very common to quit school after receiving your bachelor and not continue for your master's degree, so your chances of finding suitable work with only a bachelor's degree are slim. What's it like in the US? I heard just having a bachelor's degree there is pretty common.

I have been having a lot of trouble getting anything with a Bachelors in Physics. I was teaching, and I want to stick with that, but so far: nothing.

 

[alligatorman]

It depends .. If you want to pursue a career in physics, you won't have much (if any) luck with a bachelors degree.

However, getting any job with just a BS in Physics should not be difficult. I've know people with just math degrees get into careers in finance and management. I am sure it's a similar story for physics grads, but if that's not what you're interested in, you'll at least need a masters degree.

 

[JasonRox]

With today's economy... slim to none.

 

[cristo]

Do you want a job in physics with your BS, or just any job?

 

[Vanadium 50]

Related to Cristo's message, this depends on what the job is.

If you're competing with MS and PhD recipients, it's going to be hard. This includes teaching, where an MS helps, and for high school there are usually certification requirements that a typical BS program doesn't offer.

If you are competing with recent grads in history, literature, art, etc. (i.e. entry level business positions), a physics BS looks very good.

 

[ks_physicist]

If you have a subject-area degree, you can usually find an alternative route to teaching licensure, at least in the United States. If you have an interest in teaching, and have a talent for explaining technical things to people, I recommend that you give it a shot. We need good science and math teachers very badly.