I love studying physics but can i get a job

[Hamiltonian]

I am in high school and will be going to college in less than 2 years. I love studying physics and I would love to study and gain more knowledge in the field. Right now I am barely scratching the surface and I really want to study the subject in depth.
I am reminded time and again having a degree in physics won't get you a job in India easily unlike computer science for which there are plenty of job opportunities.

so I just wanted to know what your next step would be after getting a PhD (also can u even get a job or do research in physics without one?!)
would you just start working at a company like any other ordinary job? or if want to do research how would that work?

 

[archaic]

you can study physics without working in the field.
i have read in some posts here that it is a bit challenging to get into academia, but i guess that that is describing the situation in the us.

 

[Orodruin]

I cannot weigh in on the situation in India in terms of work outside of academia. However, most people that study physics do not end up in academia, but rather in companies working with different sorts of modelling or similar.

If you want to stay in academia, the step after a PhD is to do a number of postdocs (each 2-3 years), typically abroad (or at least at a different institute if in the US), before being considered for tenure track positions. It is a highly competitive job market and getting a PhD in no way guarantees success.

 

[member 587159]

You are still in high school and already thinking about a PHD. I think you should first focus on enjoying physics in college and getting good grades.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

You are still in high school and already thinking about a PHD. I think you should first focus on enjoying physics in college and getting good grades.

I can think of several benefits from considering a PhD by the time one graduates from high school or very early in college:

1. The choice of undergraduate institution can have a significant impact on prospects when one applies to physics PhD programs. If one is limited by resources to public schools in one's home state, there are usually one or two choices that are better than all the others (Texas A&M and UT in Texas, LSU in Louisiana, Ga Tech and UGA in GA, UNC and NC State in NC, etc.) Attending the lowest tier BS programs in physics will not serve one as well as attending one of the better public programs in a state.

2. Getting involved in research early can significantly strengthen one's application to graduate school. Skills gained in high school can create much stronger research group candidates for early undergraduates. Many schools delay undergrad research opportunities until senior research projects for students who are not intentional about finding them. In the final year of a BS program, one simply has far less opportunity to complete research accomplishments or impress recommendation writers by the time grad school applications are due.

3. Knowing one is likely applying to graduate school, one can take steps to front load the courses most important to the PGRE so they are completed before taking the PGRE. With all the high school dual enrollment programs around these days, one might even complete the intro physics sequence before graduating from high school. The way prerequisites stack up in most BS programs, this allows completing the most essential courses before one takes the PGRE. An early start in physics coursework also leaves one better prepared for research opportunities.

4. The job prospects with and without an advanced degree are a worthwhile consideration for many undergraduate degrees. Physics is not as extreme an example as pre-law or pre-med, but consideration of employability without an advanced degree is more important in physics than in engineering, education, or nursing. I see lots of physics department web sites touting all the job prospects for physics majors, and many students come away with the mistaken impression that finding a job will be a snap with a mediocre GPA from these mediocre departments. A more sober appraisal of job prospects would be helpful BEFORE students start spending time, effort, and money in these programs.