Grad School or Job After Physics Degree: What Should You Choose?

  • Thread starter Thread starter elegysix
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Physics Undergrad
AI Thread Summary
Graduating with a B.S. in physics presents a choice between immediate graduate school or entering the job market. Pursuing graduate studies can be beneficial, providing time to defer loan payments, potential funding for living expenses, and qualifications for advanced positions. However, it's crucial to have a clear career direction before committing to grad school, as it should not be seen merely as a way to delay job searching. Researching programs that align with future career goals is essential. Teaching in public schools is an option, but the level of support for graduate studies varies by district. Overall, the decision should be based on personal career aspirations and readiness for further education.
elegysix
Messages
404
Reaction score
15
So I'm going to graduate with a B.S. in physics in a few weeks, and I'm looking for advice. Should I go for grad school immediately, or go for a physics job/career? Do many physics related jobs pay for/support grad school?

I know that if I get the proper certification, I can teach physics in public schools. What is it like to work for the public school system? Do they support grad school?

I know this is a huge topic. All comments/input are welcome.

thanks
 
Physics news on Phys.org
If you have no real idea what you want to do, graduate school isn't a bad option. It gives you time before you have to pay off loans, it is an easy source of income (if you can secure funding), and it qualifies you for higher level jobs, assuming you choose the correct field.

However, you should NOT go to graduate school simply to put-off having to find a job. You should have a rough idea of the field you'd like to prepare to transition into after you graduate before you begin, and you should take that into consideration when deciding what schools you accept an offer from. Once you know that, the research you do should require skills which you can later market to potential employers.

As for the rest of your post, I went the grad school route so I can't reliably give you advice.
 
Bit Britain-specific but I was wondering, what's the best path to take for A-Levels out of the following (I know Y10 seems a bit early to be thinking about A-levels, but my choice will impact what I do this year/ in y11) I (almost) definitely want to do physics at University - so keep that in mind... The subjects that I'm almost definitely going to take are Maths, Further Maths and Physics, and I'm taking a fast track programme which means that I'll be taking AS computer science at the end...
After a year of thought, I decided to adjust my ratio for applying the US/EU(+UK) schools. I mostly focused on the US schools before, but things are getting complex and I found out that Europe is also a good place to study. I found some institutes that have professors with similar interests. But gaining the information is much harder than US schools (like you have to contact professors in advance etc). For your information, I have B.S. in engineering (low GPA: 3.2/4.0) in Asia - one SCI...
I graduated with a BSc in Physics in 2020. Since there were limited opportunities in my country (mostly teaching), I decided to improve my programming skills and began working in IT, first as a software engineer and later as a quality assurance engineer, where I’ve now spent about 3 years. While this career path has provided financial stability, I’ve realized that my excitement and passion aren’t really there, unlike what I felt when studying or doing research in physics. Working in IT...

Similar threads

Back
Top