How Valuable is Engineering Experience in a Physics Career?

[engicist]

So, I am planning on switching my Major to physics. I just am not sure exactly what I want to do with it. Let me add that I have an associates in electronic repair and (somehow) this degree allowed me to work for four years as a field engineer for an oil service company. I was mainly responsible for running their pulsed neutron tools. I guess my question is, when I switch to Physics, will this experience be helpful in making my employment possibilities more broad?

 

[physics girl phd]

I can't see how it wouldn't. Experience in electronics (especially if you've had to trouble-shoot/repair broken equipment) will look good to future employers in industry... and to potential grad school advisers (especially if you are going into an experimental work -- in a lot of groups, the equipment you're going to be using is OLD and will need repairs -- frequently that's capacitors leaking with age or motors short-circuiting from wear). ...And even if you do more work on a computer (is a CS-type job or in a "theory" group in grad school), that's an electronic instrument too (some theory groups I've known have built mini on-site semi-supercomputers, which involves some wiring).