How much money do Physicists make?

[Silverbackman]

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.

 

[LogiX]

You shouldn't choose any profession just for the money. Do whatever YOU want to do, don't let your parents pressure you into making a decision.

When political officals run for office they usually have supporters. If you want to get into politics later in life you should make a lot of friends who are wealthy.

$90,000 a year is not 'low'. It matters where you live. Docters may make more money a year for salary, but just imagine how much debt they need to pay off from years and years of medical school.

Ryan

 

[Bladibla]

i have a similar problem like yours, although indirectly, they make me do medicine.

Like you i prefer theretical physics as well, or theroetical chemistry, if there is such a thing.

Although i may be in no position to say it, i agree with logiX. There is no point in making lots of money if you're not going to enjoy what you actually do.

And considering the amount of mathematical work and research phyicists do, i think they really should get moer credit. Although then, it won't have that aroma of elegancy..

 

[juvenal]

There was an interesting article in the WSJ a few weeks ago (Jan 10) that talked about two brothers-in-law. One was a cosmetic dentist. The other was a doctor doing family practice. The cosmetic dentist was living the high life - loads of money and relatively easy work schedule. The doctor on the other hand, was pretty miserable. Beginning of article:

YARDLEY, Pa. -- Randy Bryson and his brother-in-law Larry Fazioli are both medical professionals in their 40s who practice in Pennsylvania. The similarity ends there.

At Dr. Bryson's office here in suburban Philadelphia, a fountain softly burbles in the airy reception area, and patients are offered cappuccino or paraffin-wax hand treatments while they wait. Dr. Bryson works four days a week, drives a Mercedes, and lives in a 4,000-square-foot house with a pool. He and his wife, who works part-time in the same practice, together take home more than $500,000 a year.

At Dr. Fazioli's busy practice near Pittsburgh, patients crowd a utilitarian waiting room, and his cramped office is piled high with records awaiting dictation. Dr. Fazioli says he works between 55 and 80 hours a week, and his annual income of less than $180,000 has been stagnant or down the past few years. He drives a Chevrolet.

Anyhow - I would say that if you don't go to a top school, then being a medical doctor or dentist is not a bad way to go. You have a good chance of making a good living.

However - if you go to a top-notch school, then the physics degree is useful in landing a job in quantitative finance, for example. And salaries are pretty high there. But a normal run-of-the-mill physicist is probably not making more than or much more than 100K a year. I've heard of some physics postdocs at national labs making 80K a year. Full profs at top-notch universities are making somewhere over a 100K a year. So your parents are probably right when it comes to theoretical physicists.

But - you might work in applied physics and develop some technology that you could patent and form a company around. Then - you could conceivably strike it rich. Also - I'm not sure what industry jobs pay.

If you are focused on just making money - just go to business school. Or just something in finance. There are people 3-4 years out of college who make between 150 to 200K a year. However, chances of getting jobs like this if you don't go to a good school are slim unless you're well connected.

 

[Gokul43201]

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.

That's roughly correct, for whatever it's worth, but only in the early part of your career. Depending on whether you work in industry or academia, your salary growth could vary.

 

[juvenal]

That's roughly correct, for whatever it's worth, but only in the early part of your career. Depending on whether you work in industry or academia, your salary growth could vary.

Keep in mind that in physics - the postdoc period can last a long time.

 

[Eratosthenes]

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.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

$90,000 dollars an year is kind of low, so I would want that.

The average salary in the US I believe is around $45k, $90k a year is a very nice amount. Do what you love to do, don't worry about the money. I'd rather be a happy begger than an unhappy ceo.

 

[JasonRox]

I'd be happy making 30 to 40k.

Note: In Canada, of course.

 

[franznietzsche]

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.

You consider $90,000 low?

$90,000 is more than double the average kid.

if you're that obsessed with your paycheck, don't bother with physics. Post docs make $50,000 maximum (in general). Usually less. Tenured professors or industry physicists make $90,000 to $110,000.

I'm sorry, but you ahve no real understanding of money if you consider $90,000 low. Either that or you come from a horribly spoiled upbringing. Or both.

 

[franznietzsche]

I'd be happy making 30 to 40k.

Note: In Canada, of course.

If I'm doing theoretical physics i'd be happy making that here in the US.

 

[omagdon7]

Starting salary for a physicist with a BS ranges from 28-50k. Theoretical physicists I'm pretty sure make the least and have the worst job outlook.

 

[JasonRox]

Asking how much Physicists make goes to show that you do care about money.

The question never crossed my mind.

 

[franznietzsche]

Asking how much Physicists make goes to show that you do care about money.

The question never crossed my mind.

It crossed my mind, but never as a criterion for choosing it as a career, more out of curiosity.

 

[franznietzsche]

Starting salary for a physicist with a BS ranges from 28-50k. Theoretical physicists I'm pretty sure make the least and have the worst job outlook.

Not really, its just as easy for them to get professorship positions and government lab jobs.

 

[Silverbackman]

Guys, don't get me wrong. I am just not after the money. If only was then I wouldn't bother on making this thread. I keep telling my parents that it is better to do a job you enjoy than the money but they keep saying it is better to have money.

There a couple of reasons why I myself want more money. One reason is that I want to go into politics later in life and you have to have lots of money to be sucessful in that line. Secondly I want a better life than my parent. My father makes on average $112,000 an year as a small business owner, so that is why I judge $90,000 a bit lower. It probably is not bad pay at all, so just because I found out most theoretical physicists maker around that much it doesn't mean becoming that profession is out of my idea.

What if you were to find a major discovery as an theoretical physicist such as a way to travel time ec.t ect. Wouldn't that boose your pay up? There is so much to discover in this line work so it is very likelly I will discover something big. Won't it booste your pay?

 

[marlon]

https://www.physicsforums.com/journal.php?s=&action=view&journalid=13790&perpage=10&page=3

Check out the "What is a physicist"-entry in the above link. There are lots of references to various sites on the earnings and jobdescriptions of physicists in various fields and in various countries

regards
marlon

 

[franznietzsche]

Guys, don't get me wrong. I am just not after the money. If only was then I wouldn't bother on making this thread. I keep telling my parents that it is better to do a job you enjoy than the money but they keep saying it is better to have money.

There a couple of reasons why I myself want more money. One reason is that I want to go into politics later in life and you have to have lots of money to be sucessful in that line. Secondly I want a better life than my parent. My father makes on average $112,000 an year as a small business owner, so that is why I judge $90,000 a bit lower. It probably is not bad pay at all, so just because I found out most theoretical physicists maker around that much it doesn't mean becoming that profession is out of my idea.

What if you were to find a major discovery as an theoretical physicist such as a way to travel time ec.t ect. Wouldn't that boose your pay up? There is so much to discover in this line work so it is very likelly I will discover something big. Won't it booste your pay?

Yes. If you're churning out major research Universities will want to pay you more, and you'll be more likely to be requested for lectures and seminars which pay very well for the time involved.

AS for the making less money that your parents, my parents make about the same as yours, my dad works in franchising. Business fields will always have the potential to make more money, its simple capitalism. Science is on the other much less capitalistic in general.

However to say its very likely you'll discover something big is a height of arrogance even i wouldn't go to(and I'm the most arrogant elitist jackarse anyone i know has ever met, though i can usually put my money where my mouth is, so to speak). It doesn't work that way. Just because there is a lot to discover does not mean that you will discover it, no matter how genius you are. Its a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

The way real physics works is that lots of little bits and pieces are studied by individuals for years, then every once in a great while an einstein or a feyman comes along and pieces it all together into something coherent and cogent.

Further as for the money you have to understand the occupational lifestylf of a physicist, especially a theoretical physicist. You'll spend hours locked in a room with coffee and a blackboard, not much time to enjo larg income, you're too busy working on watever problem has you enthralled at the time. You live your job really. It has to be something that you're doing ebcause you love it.

edit: If you're concerned about cost of education vs payout at the end (which is more legitimate in my mind that being worried about the paycheck in and of itself, physics majors generally don't pay for grad school. You work as a TA or RA (research assistant) during your doctoral work and so don't have to pay.

 

[cronxeh]

Dont go into science/engineering for the money. Go because you want more out of life.

For all your needs:
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos052.htm

 

[Icebreaker]

If you think $90k U.S. a low income, then you're better off in law or marketing.

 

[Norman]

For a recent listing of the top paying jobs in the US please see:
http://fastweb.monster.com/fastweb/content/focus/story/3770.ptml?ID=
Here a physicist is 15th on the list. That is pretty good out of the thousands of jobs available in the US.

 

[Moonbear]

On the other hand, if you graduate with a physics degree, chances are your education was paid for by grants, fellowships, or assistantships, while those MDs spend a good portion of their income repaying student loans while still trying to build a practice.

Seriously, don't go into science for the money. For that matter, don't go into medicine for the money. Nobody needs a physician who just wants to make a big paycheck and couldn't care less about the person in front of them. If you are only interested in money, go into business. You're not going to get wealthy as a scientist, the science has to be the reward rather than the money. You also have to look at how many years it takes before you start earning the salary that you think you can live with. If you're expecting a 90K salary or higher, you have to keep in mind that you're not going to be earning that with a post-doc or even a junior faculty salary. That's a salary you earn AFTER you've obtained tenure. That's quite a few years down the road.

However, we could use more politicians with a solid training in any of the sciences. If your long-term goal is politics, it's worth considering a path where you obtain a PhD in the sciences, then instead of a traditional post-doc, apply for a fellowship as a science advisor for Congress. This will get you into the political arena. From there, you can choose to stay in politics or return to science, whichever you find works best for you.

I'd suggest you take both science and poli sci classes in college and take your time choosing a major until you're more certain of which you'd really prefer doing. This isn't your parents' decision. You're the one who has to get up every morning and go to the job you either love or hate.

 

[misogynisticfeminist]

you can do talkshows, tonight with professor gravity or something. Or you can write books.

If you want a political career later, you could always work for the military as a research scientist, then build up connections from there.

 

[ZapperZ]

Not really, its just as easy for them to get professorship positions and government lab jobs.

No, I don't think it is "just as easy". Experimentalists tend to have higher "employability", and most universities tend to have more openings for experimentalists and theorists because of one important factor - experimentalists tend to bring more research funding money than theorists.

Coming back to the original question, one must keep in mind that most physicists are employed as university instructors. So their pay scale are tied with what the school is willing to pay. The big (and rich) schools will pay their top faculty members top dollars (easily in the 150K range or more). If one is in a US Nat'l Lab, then again one is tied to a pay scale that's available. The other common avenue for employment, and this is where experimentalists have a leg up on theorists, is the industrial sector, where physicists are employed as "engineers" in various areas of research&development and even manufacturing, etc. Here, the sky is the limit in terms of salary.

Zz.

 

[marlon]

Lots of physicists have done fundamental work that really was the foundation of many applied science-related industries. Just look at semi-conductors, chips in general and photonics or nanotechnology. Those people make big bucks, you all can trust me on that...

regards
marlon

ps : the only true engineer is a PHYSICIST

 

[marlon]

Another trick : try to get famous (by winning lots of awards in physics) and then give speeches all over the world. ofcourse you will need to start small, but as you get better and better in presenting your work you can become the international movie-star of science...A Bit like the lectures and speeches of Feynmann. Then, the money will start to roll in...

marlon

 

[cronxeh]

ps : the only true engineer is a PHYSICIST

This is bull. I am willing to argue so far as to say that an engineer is more likely to discover something fundumentally new if he applied himself than a physicist who only has a pure physics curriculum track

 

[marlon]

This is bull. I am willing to argue so far as to say that an engineer is more likely to discover something fundumentally new if he applied himself than a physicist who only has a pure physics curriculum track

And i am willing to argue so far as to say the exact opposite. So i don't think there is any reason why we should start such a discussion, because we won't be able to convince each other.

let us be diplomatic and state that each of us has a different opinion on this matter ; whether it is "bull" or not

regards
marlon

 

[cronxeh]

Ok ok

Ill just drop down a few names and we can shelve this

Leonardo Da Vinci
Martin Perl (BS ChemE/ Ph.D Physics- co-discovered Tau Lepton)
Alfred Nobel (MechE/ ChemE)
Gustaf Dalén (Engineer/ Nobel Prize 1912)

et al

 

[marlon]

Ok ok

Ill just drop down a few names and we can shelve this

Leonardo Da Vinci
Martin Perl (BS ChemE/ Ph.D Physics- co-discovered Tau Lepton)
Alfred Nobel (MechE/ ChemE)
Gustaf Dalén (Engineer/ Nobel Prize 1912)

et al

Da Vinci ? Ok he was an universal genius but i think you doesn't belong in this list. At least not the way you intended it. Perl is a physicist because he is a phd in physics. Besides chemistry is a fundamental science...we can argue about the "engineering-part" that was necessary for the tau lepton discovery.

Besides, do i need to fill in the names of all physicists that won a Nobel Prize ?

regards
marlon

 

[cronxeh]

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

 

[edtman]

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.

 

[KingNothing]

Good budgeting will get you further than another $10,000 a year will.

 

[cronxeh]

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.

 

[Janitor]

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.

 

[Curious3141]

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.

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.

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.

 

[scarecrow]

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.

 

[cronxeh]

or 'theoretically' a chemist?

 

[bfd]

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.

 

[Astro]

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!

 

[Hesychast]

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?

 

[firehand1011]

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.

 

[jtbell]

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.

 

[Klockan3]

I am surprised none spotted this back then:

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.

 

[mathman44]

Why? Name me a better subject to study than physics to satisfy such curiosities.

 

[Matterwave]

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=)

 

[G01]

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.

 

[cronxeh]

Dude, not cool, this is like from 5 years ago

 

[General_Sax]

Well, he actually posted this thread 'yesterday' after he traveled back in time :D

 

[twofish-quant]

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.