Physics Employment: What Are Physics Majors Doing After Graduation?

[cdotter]

I'm set to start university this fall but the problem is I can't decide on what to major in. I've been thinking about majoring in Physics for the past few months because I really liked Physics and Calculus in high school and did pretty well in them. The only problem with majoring in Physics is there aren't many direct jobs for a Physics major. I may or may not go on to graduate school for Physics so being able to get a job out of undergrad is kind of required. I've heard that Physics majors are versatile because they learn 'problem solving skills', but I just don't see it happening [getting an unrelated job]. I've been thinking about getting a Comp Sci or CIS/IT minor and getting an on-campus job as helpdesk support so I could work in IT if I decide on not going to grad school. Would I be an ideal candidate for basic sysadmin work with such a degree (major: Physics minor: CS or CIS/IT) if I DON'T go to graduate school? To all you other Physics majors (particularly those who didn't go to graduate school), where are you working and what are you doing?

edit:

I know this has been discussed numerous times but I'd rather have a new discussion/poll on what people are doing rather than discussing possible jobs.

 

[Choppy]

With the exception of people taking professional degrees, I think the majority of people end up in fields outside of their original field of study.

Having a part-time job during school can heavily influence your employability when you graduate - especially one like you described. One of my close friends works as a systems administrator and his degree was in political science.

 

[tbradshaw]

I have a physics undergrad degree and I work as a physics programmer for an internet company. I had a job as a field engineer in the oil industry prior to my current position. Having some classes in computer science or programming will help you out but I wouldn't worry too much about having a minor in anything.

 

[Vid]

http://www.phys.lsu.edu/classes/spring2008/phys7857/

PDF lectures from a graduate seminar called "How to get a Physics."

Includes guest lectures from physicists on wall street, start-ups, national labs, and actuaries.

 

[googleveena]

it is very difficult to find a job from physics. if you are interested in physics, go for EE. it has lot of physics in it, specially in semiconductor field. and EE degree will give you much more job options than physics .. i will not encourage to do physics if you have option to go for EE or CS and if you are keen to work in industry,

 

[Vid]

Wow, just realized I forgot a few words in my post.
It should be "How to get a Job in Physics" and not "How to get a Physics."

 

[cdotter]

Sorry for bumping this thread, but is it possible for an average student to get in a decent grad school for a PhD? I was reading the admissions thread over at physicsgre.com and it's crazy. People with a 3.8 GPA from top 20 schools, undergraduate research, and 900s on the physics GRE were getting rejected from Harvard/Yale/Cornell/etc. I know I'm not tier 1 material, but would I be able to get into an ok PhD program with a a ~3.4 GPA?

 

[Vanadium 50]

A very good undergraduate student can get into grad school at a comparably ranked university. An outstanding student can move up, and a pretty good student can get in by moving down. Average will require moving down by more than a little.

 

[cdotter]

A very good undergraduate student can get into grad school at a comparably ranked university. An outstanding student can move up, and a pretty good student can get in by moving down. Average will require moving down by more than a little.

That's a little alarming. Who knows, I might do significantly better than 3.4 at university. I'm not going to a particularly difficult school and I did very well (near the top) in math and science in high school...I was just average at English and history however.

 

[cdotter]

When should I know what I want to study in graduate school? As of now I find nuclear physics and condensed matter interesting but then again I haven't taken any classes yet.

 

[Vanadium 50]

That's a little alarming.

Sorry, but graduate school is highly competitive. Look how many graduate student slots there are compared to undergraduates. Mediocre grades at a "not particularly difficult" school don't look as good as high grades from top tier schools.