Finished PhD -- it's been one year and can't find a job

[homeomorphic]

That's cute and all except for the fact that there ARE jobs for physics/chemistry/biology, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin ask for physicists by name in some of their job postings. The military also hires non-engineering STEM majors, this fantasy that a degree in engineering is the golden ticket to employment is as big a farce as the myth of the shortage of STEM professionals myth.

No one ever said there are NO jobs. Listing one or two companies is not a counter-example to the claim that there are not very many jobs. An engineering degree is no guarantee. There's never a guarantee. But to say that physics is better for getting a job would be completely inaccurate. Engineering is obviously a better degree from a pure employability standpoint. The point is that it's better to be someone for which there are standard jobs, rather than a sort of exotic bird that only a few employers are going to want to hire. I don't like the whole "creatively finding a place for myself" thing, speaking as a math PhD. I'd much rather be applying to some sort of standard job, rather than searching for that needle in a haystack. It's very competitive out there. Yes, there are jobs, but if you are not the best at selling yourself and finding your place, then it makes sense to go for something where you have to pull fewer career stunts.

 

[wukunlin]

Well, let's have a look at Australia (where I live and a developed western country). SEEK is one of the most popular job boards and we will look at some raw numbers.

The number of jobs under the engineering category: 3,209
The number of jobs under the physics & chemistry subcategory (which is under the science and technology category) : 38


But wait, most of them relate only to chemistry, paints, pharmaceuticals, hazardous material management. So the only jobs for physicists are: 3 postdocs, 1 for quantum computing and 2 for theoretical particle physics. There is also a position on batteries so I guess we can count that as a physics as well as a chemistry related job.

Some people will say physicists can do the jobs in the engineering category as well. But why would employers want to hire physicists for an engineering position when there are 10s or even 100s more applications from engineering graduates applying for each position?

 

[bluechic92]

So I ran across this thread recently and noticed that the OP has not posted for over a year! I hope the OP is happy with with the job he currently has.
Anyways to bump this:

After graduating from a Bachelors in physics in US, here's what I noticed:

1) relevant teaching experience can help you get a teaching job! Tutor on the side of whatever it is you are doing if you want to teach. Make students/parents happy than word of mouth can take you to lots of places!

2) It's far easier to find employment if you have experimental background ( more in condensed matter) than theoretical( which is what i have and the pen and paper kind too ). Most of the places that I get interviewed and move up are in the finance industry

3) DO NOT EVER mention that you want to go back to science for non STEM industry. That was my mistake when they asked me "where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?" and I also heavily talked about my passion for research ( while emphasizing the useful skills). *stupid answer, I know . But, I really wanted (still want to) get a PhD in physics.

3.5) Switching field is easier in grad school, but it is possible to do this in post-doc stage too. One way is to apply directly... another way is to volunteer in a prof's lab (group)* to get some experience and then apply. This way you will have an additional strong recommendation. * I think it might be easier to switch from theory -->experiment than experiment --> theory at this stage*

4) Lastly, I learned that no one in the real world cares how smart you are and how much qft you know. For the most part, it does not seem to matter in the physics world either unless if you want to do theory or something heavily involved with qft. I am auditing a qft class because I love it, but I am realizing now that I should have audited a computer programming class or something...

5) For anybody who felt sort of discouraged after seeing this thread, DON'T BE* Things will always be tough, but there is always a chance to learn new things and opportunity for growth. You just have to have the right attitude and meet people. Talk to people! As one of the posters, mentioned over and over again, networking is SOO damn important.

Alan Guth is pretty damn smart, however he struggled too.
Hope some of you find that article inspiring!

http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2014/05/02/alan-guth-what-made-big-bang-bang/RmI4s9yCI56jKF6ddMiF4L/story.html

 

[mworth]

Sorry for replying to an old thread. I have a question which directly relates to this.

Why did the OP not apply for jobs in the nuclear industry?

I am considering a masters in nuclear physics (MSc physics and technology of nuclear reactors) following on from my bachelors.

On linkedin I see former students in roles such as:
nuclear graduate - BAE Systems Maritime Engineering & Services
Trainee Radiation Protection Advisor - Sellafield
Nuclear Safety Engineer - EDF Energy and BAE
Horizon nuclear power graduate scheme, Gloucester

So, is the nuclear industry a good one to get into? There seem to be graduate schemes but the story of the OP is a worrying one as he even had a PhD in nuclear.

Thanks

 

[Vanadium 50]

Why did the OP not apply for jobs in the nuclear industry?

Since he hasn't been here in 2-1/2 years I don't think he will answer you.