How much money do Physicists make?

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Pressure from parents to pursue a medical career contrasts with a desire to become a Theoretical Physicist, focusing on interests like time travel and the universe. While doctors typically earn higher salaries, the discussion highlights that $90,000 for physicists is not low compared to the average income. The importance of job satisfaction over salary is emphasized, with a belief that one should pursue what they love. The potential for significant discoveries in physics is noted, which could lead to higher earnings, but the reality of making groundbreaking contributions is acknowledged as uncertain. Ultimately, the consensus is to prioritize passion in career choices rather than solely financial gain.
  • #31
I think the right conclusion the original poster should make out of our debate about physicist vs engineer is that there is not one person involved in making discoveries - it takes a team effort, and he can choose different stages of the process. Since he is looking to make money out of what he does and still be involved in science, maybe engineering is for him.

my 2 cents
 
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  • #32
don't let your parents pick YOUR career

Your parents mean well but that doesn't justify them trying to pressure you into a career you don't want. My parent's talked me out of going into an engineering discipline and into a prelaw/foreign service/international business track. I studied international affairs for 2 years before it occurred to me that I like science and math tons more than history and international politics. Now I'm studying physics and I'm a couple of years behind where I should be had I started out studying a science or engineering discipline. To compromise with your parents, you can take both physics and premed courses your first year or two and then decide what you want to do.
 
  • #33
Good budgeting will get you further than another $10,000 a year will.
 
  • #34
exactly. it has always annoyed me to see all the ads on TV and whatnot - you just grow to realize the worth of things, and as an engineer especially you can make anything you want. this is partially a reason why i went into engineering - an ability to create things cheaper and without having to rely on others. you should also look into related engineering disciplines in any of the careers your parents wanted you to pursue - many engineers go to medical school, law school, etc. the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking you get from science/engineering majors is useful for life. your education is something that no one can take away from you.
 
  • #35
Silverbackman said:
My parents are pressuring me to become a medical doctor but I don't really want to...

The late Isaac Asimov was similarly pressured by his parents. He was so revolted by a college biology class where the students were expected to catch an alley cat (this was in the depths of New York City) and kill it so that they could bring it to class and dissect it, that he got off the medical school track. He wound up with a degree in chemistry, and taught some courses on that subject at Boston College, if I recall. Teaching wound up being a fairly short career for him, because he found that his writing hobby was starting to make more money for him than his professorship was. He quit his teaching job and devoted himself to writing. I believe he authored more than 500 books.

I make less than $90,000. :rolleyes:
 
  • #36
Silverbackman said:
My parents are pressuring me to become a medical doctor but I don't really want to. I mean, I rather become a medical doctor more than a lawyer or business man but I still rather be a scientist, to be more particular a Theoretical Physicist. I am very interested in Time Travel, wormholes, and the natural wonders of the universe and would want to research those topics.

There is a problem though.

Well there is actually an advantage in being a medical doctor. They make more money than physicists...or at least I am told that by my parents. I do want to go into politics later in life so I need to make major money. As a heart surgeon for example I can make $540,000 an year or as a lower doctor I can make at least $200,000 an year.

How much money do Physicists make yearly? To be more specific, how much do Theoretical Physicists make yearly? I heard it was $90,000, but my parents told me that so they could be lying to get me in a medical profession. $90,000 dollars an year is kind of low, so I would want that.

I can't believe I'm spotting this thread so late, because I can offer you some first hand perspective on this.

I am a medical doctor, currently doing postgrad training in Microbiology. I never really wanted to do Medicine, it was a parental edict, much like in your case. My brain is firmly geared toward Math and Physics and I wanted to do either Physics or a closely allied applied discipline, like Electrical Engineering. I even had admission to Caltech on a full Singapore government scholarship.

Yet my parents basically goaded me into doing medicine and I've never been 100 % happy since. I got through medical school with no problems, hardly needing to work that hard (it isn't difficult, since a lot of it is rote memorisation). But I wasn't happy as a clinician, and quickly grew weary of patient contact, which is why I ended up in a lab based discipline. Yet even this isn't what I truly enjoy, and I often find myself wistfully looking at others doing what they (and *I*) love for a living. :frown:

The worst part is, being in a lab based discipline, my pay isn't all that high either. I would've gotten around the same pay as a researcher in Physics, and probably more as an Engineer.

The moral of the story is : do what you love, what you're passionate about. If you're good at it, the money will come in time. And it's your life to live, not your parents'. Always remember that. Your life, your choice. :smile:

EDIT : And if you're really worried about cashflow, there are a ton of different ways you can supplement your income. The stock/options market is an excellent source of income if you know what you're doing and play it smart.
 
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  • #37
Bladibla said:
Like you i prefer theretical physics as well, or theroetical chemistry, if there is such a thing.
Yes there is...I'm a theoretical chemist.
 
  • #38
or 'theoretically' a chemist? :smile:
 
  • #39
Eratosthenes said:
Focus on studying to get a job that you will enjoy doing. You want to be able to wake up every morning and look forward to going to work, that is the most important thing. I would rather make 45,000 a year doing a job I truly love than make 250,000 year doing a job I hate. Most people work at least 8 hours a day, that is a really long time to be doing something you hate.

Success is waking up every morning and being able to do whatever you want, and if that thing you want to do happens to be your job, then you have made it.

If you aren't sure, just go to college and start with physics as your major. This will let you know how much you truly love it. You can always change your mind about your major and remember that you need a 4 year degree in anything to get into medical school.

I agree with much of what you say. I believe if you choose a profession that is in conjuction with your passion in life, chances are the money will come anyway on account of such things as you will get good at your job not for just the money but because that is what you want to do anyway.
 
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  • #40
Ask yourself what is more important to you: politics or physics. If you know what you like and want pursue your interest directly. There is enough to deal in with life without unnecessarily making it harder on yourself. Is double majoring a possibility? Keep in mind that 'success' is cumulative in the sense that you build on your past. Ask yourself how becoming a doctor or studying physics would contribute to your goals and interests. I get the impression that you are uncertain what you really want out of life. Try to prioritize your interests and objectives. Don't focus on the order so much as what items are at the very top and which items are at the bottom. There is a saying that things are usually not as good nor as bad as you think, the reality being somewhere in between. As for money, obviously the more the merrier but I don't believe money alone will give you happiness. Most likely you will have to find a balance there. It's also important in any of your decisions to consider the day-to-day lifestyle involved in an occupation. What will you be happier with?

Good luck!
 
  • #41
Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) has a PhD in plasma physics.

A related question concerns physics vs. engineering for someone with an interest in an academic career. It seems like getting a doctorate in engineering would be easier and that competition for the top schools is less intense, while engineering profs are shoveled money from industry, the Defense Dept., etc. A EE prof at my college recently donated over $1 million to Engineering, which he probably earned through licensing patents. Why would industry fund hep research, after all?
 
  • #42
Silverbackman said:
My parents are pressuring me to become a medical doctor but I don't really want to. I mean, I rather become a medical doctor more than a lawyer or business man but I still rather be a scientist, to be more particular a Theoretical Physicist. I am very interested in Time Travel, wormholes, and the natural wonders of the universe and would want to research those topics.

There is a problem though.

Well there is actually an advantage in being a medical doctor. They make more money than physicists...or at least I am told that by my parents. I do want to go into politics later in life so I need to make major money. As a heart surgeon for example I can make $540,000 an year or as a lower doctor I can make at least $200,000 an year.

How much money do Physicists make yearly? To be more specific, how much do Theoretical Physicists make yearly? I heard it was $90,000, but my parents told me that so they could be lying to get me in a medical profession. $90,000 dollars an year is kind of low, so I would want that.

Hey man, i know exactly what you're going through. My parents sent me to a good school, and because of this they want me to be something great like an engineer, or, just like you, a doctor. I'm really interested in the sciences, and that is my passion. A job as a successful physicist would be a dream come true.

But in actual fact, physicists don't get paid well at all, and on the other hand, being a doctor is the highest paid profession in the US. So here's my advice: Only enter the world of physics if that is truly your passion in life and you would devote every moment of your being to enriching yourself in its mysteries and learning everything there is to know. Because if you just stupidly half arse it and expect to create time machines, you will indeed have a profession that pays lower than your parents, and it will not be worth it. So please, if you are not fully prepared to embrace a low salary for your passion, then please, do not embrace it at all.
 
  • #43
Uh, just in case you haven't noticed, take a look at the date on Silverbackman's post. He's probably already finished college/university by now, and is well on his way to whatever career he did choose.
 
  • #44
I am surprised none spotted this back then:
Silverbackman said:
I am very interested in Time Travel, wormholes, and the natural wonders of the universe and would want to research those topics.
If this really is why he wanted to study physics then he most likely won't like the real deal.
 
  • #45
Why? Name me a better subject to study than physics to satisfy such curiosities.
 
  • #46
If you can invent a way of time-traveling, you could get rich like Biff did in Back to the Future! (Or you can cause the space-time continuum to collapse and destroy the very universe as we know it! D=)
 
  • #47
Klockan3 said:
I am surprised none spotted this back then:

If this really is why he wanted to study physics then he most likely won't like the real deal.

There are many real physicists who start out that way!

After immersion in the subject for several years, your interests tend to mature as your knowledge base grows. However, that same basic curiosity about the world remains.
 
  • #48
Dude, not cool, this is like from 5 years ago :rolleyes:
 
  • #49
Well, he actually posted this thread 'yesterday' after he traveled back in time :D
 
  • #50
The premise of the question is flawed. It's not particularly difficult for a physics Ph.D. to get a job on Wall Street making between 150K and 250K, and it's definitely not the case that someone that is interested in physics will make less money than someone who ends up getting an MD.

Having said that, I think making career decisions based mainly on money is a *horrible* thing to do. If your main motivation to becoming a doctor, physicist, lawyer, or banker is money then you probably aren't going to be good at it, and even if you end up making the money, you are going to be rich and miserable.
 
  • #51
twofish-quant said:
Having said that, I think making career decisions based mainly on money is a *horrible* thing to do. If your main motivation to becoming a doctor, physicist, lawyer, or banker is money then you probably aren't going to be good at it, and even if you end up making the money, you are going to be rich and miserable.

Is this advice only for people born into rich, or at least middle class, families?
 
  • #52
atyy said:
Is this advice only for people born into rich, or at least middle class, families?
Why would it be? You can have a nice life working at MCdonalds too.
 
  • #53
atyy said:
Is this advice only for people born into rich, or at least middle class, families?

It's advice for people born into rich, developed nations which includes most of the people in this forum. If you are born in the US or Western Europe with citizenship, you already lucked out big time. If you have parents that have skills but no money that managed to make it to the US with nothing but their brain power, then you really, really hit the jackpot.

This matters because you will always feel poor. If you make $250K on Wall Street, you will feel poor because you will have social contact with people making $1M. Similarly someone that makes $50K in the US has a standard of living that is totally out of reach by 85% of the people in the world.
 
  • #54
twofish-quant said:
Having said that, I think making career decisions based mainly on money is a *horrible* thing to do. If your main motivation to becoming a doctor, physicist, lawyer, or banker is money then you probably aren't going to be good at it, and even if you end up making the money, you are going to be rich and miserable.

You know, this brings to mind a story i know. There was a man who was extremely wealthy, and had everything he could have wished for, except happiness. He was not married and had few friends. But he always reminded himself, "Well, there's only one thing worse than being rich and miserable, and that's being poor and miserable"
 
  • #55
Whoever said don't do it for the money is a retard, everything in life is about the money. Do what makes the most money.
 
  • #56
amnestic said:
Whoever said don't do it for the money is a retard, everything in life is about the money. Do what makes the most money.

:rolleyes:

I don't make very much money at all and I find my life highly satisfying. Money is not as significant to others as it is to you. There are plenty of rich, miserable people in this world. Insulting others for having a different opinion is unnecessary.
 
  • #57
amnestic said:
Whoever said don't do it for the money is a retard, everything in life is about the money. Do what makes the most money.

A lot about life is about money, but I think it's stupid to do what makes the most money. The thing about money is that it gives you choices, and if you start wearing golden handcuffs that defeats the purpose.

Suppose someone offered me the choice between a $350K job crunching astrophysics code and a $1M job producing powerpoints at meetings. I'd take the $350K because its more fun.

One thing that you have to remember is that anyone that is reading this forum is likely to be incredibly wealthy by global standards. Wealth gives you choices and wealth can also destroy you.
 
  • #58
Keep in mind if you are good at what you do the money will be there. If you are in the top 5% of bakers you will be making more money than if you are in the top half of lawyers.

If you find something that you can be interested in and excel at money will not be a problem.
 
  • #59
twofish-quant said:
The thing about money is that it gives you choices, and if you start wearing golden handcuffs that defeats the purpose.

Exactly. Money is a means, not an end.
 
  • #60
Silverbackman said:
What if you were to find a major discovery as an theoretical physicist such as a way to travel time ec.t ect.

If you did that, you would be more famous than Aristotle, Newton and Einstein put together. You could make all the money you want as a professor, writing books, giving speeches and endorsements etc.

However, keep in mind that such major discoveries are very rare. You certainly can't bank on it. If you are really good, you might imagine a Noble Prize as a more realistic goal, but even that is nothing to bank on.

If love of Physics is not enough to draw you to that profession, then you are not cut out for it.

With regards to money, keep in mind that people who go into their own business make more money than people who work for others. Doctors with a successful practice do indeed make lots of money, but they deserve it because they have built up their own business. If they work at a hospital, they make much less. Same for lawyers - build your own practice and you are rich, but if you work as a public defender you are not rich. Hence, engineer's and physicists have the potential to build their own companies too (usually technology companies) and can make lot's of money. If one is a professor, he can have his own consulting company and do well also. However, if you work as a researcher or designer at a company, you may only make $90,000 per year.
 
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