Job aspects, medical physics or experimental condensed matter physics

[megatronlsu]

Hi all

It may sound rather silly, but I am a second year graduate student doing experimental condensed matter physics. Recently I've been thinking about the future like job aspects and salaries etc. One of my friend recently transferred to medical physics PhD and said its better in job aspects and opportunities.

So guys, what do you think? In comparison which has more job opportunities?

Any suggestions will help.

 

[Choppy]

I can't comment on the job prospects for condensed matter physics.

Earlier this morning I wrote a response to this thread:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=768803

One of the advantages of medical physics with respect to job opportunities is that it is a professional field that provides clinical services. So it's not driven exclusively or even primarily by academics (I'm not sure that condensed matter is either).

As far as supply and demand goes, there number of graduates and the need for qualified medical physicists is more-or-less balanced. Unfortunately there is a bottleneck that is currently causing a lot of recent graduates stress and is stifling the supply lines. There are not enough residency positions for all graduates currently, so when you finish your PhD, you will be competing for the existing residencies.

On top of that, due to a sluggish economy, the predicted growth rate in the field on average which is due to expected numbers of cancer patients, is higher than the actual recent growth rate. So even among graduates who have completed residencies there is competition for jobs.

That said, what this amounts to is that a PhD in medical physics is not a meal ticket. On a relative basis, I think the field still offers a lot more prospects in terms of stable, rewarding employment, than academic-based branches of physics.

 

[megatronlsu]

I can't comment on the job prospects for condensed matter physics.

Earlier this morning I wrote a response to this thread:
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=768803

One of the advantages of medical physics with respect to job opportunities is that it is a professional field that provides clinical services. So it's not driven exclusively or even primarily by academics (I'm not sure that condensed matter is either).

As far as supply and demand goes, there number of graduates and the need for qualified medical physicists is more-or-less balanced. Unfortunately there is a bottleneck that is currently causing a lot of recent graduates stress and is stifling the supply lines. There are not enough residency positions for all graduates currently, so when you finish your PhD, you will be competing for the existing residencies.

On top of that, due to a sluggish economy, the predicted growth rate in the field on average which is due to expected numbers of cancer patients, is higher than the actual recent growth rate. So even among graduates who have completed residencies there is competition for jobs.

That said, what this amounts to is that a PhD in medical physics is not a meal ticket. On a relative basis, I think the field still offers a lot more prospects in terms of stable, rewarding employment, than academic-based branches of physics.

Thank you very much for your kind reply. If I understood your post correctly , there is a stalemate between supply and demand because of less job opportunities right now, which can be temporary. I guess academic positions for medical is not sufficient either. And PhD's are rare than MS and also jobs for PhD's are also dwindling at this moment? Also, PhD's or resident has more job opportunities than MS.

 

[Choppy]

I'm not sure I completely understand everything in your post, but I think you have the basic idea.