What Are the Best Career Options for Physics Majors?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around career options for individuals with a physics degree, exploring various paths such as graduate studies in engineering, medical physics, and teaching. Participants share personal experiences and insights regarding job prospects and educational choices.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a passion for physics but concerns about job prospects with just a physics degree, considering options like medical physics or graduate studies in engineering.
  • Another participant suggests pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering as a viable option.
  • A participant mentions local job opportunities at a shipyard for those with a master's in physics, contemplating whether to minor in engineering for better prospects.
  • There is a suggestion that majoring in engineering could lead to better job prospects, with specific mention of high-paying fields such as Computer Software Engineering and Chemical Engineering.
  • A clarification is made regarding the educational path for medical physics, indicating the need for graduate school rather than medical school.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best career path, with multiple competing views on the value of pursuing engineering versus continuing in physics or medical physics.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions depend on local job markets and personal interests, which may not be universally applicable. There are also varying opinions on the necessity of additional qualifications for specific career paths.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals considering a physics degree, those exploring career options in engineering or medical physics, and students seeking insights into job prospects in STEM fields.

Sjm757
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I've had a love of physics since the 4th grade, and still do. The job prospects aren't too exciting for just a physics degree, so I was wondering what i could do? I was planning on getting my Bachelors in Physics, and then either going into medical school for medical physics(not really into medical physics quiet so much), or going into graduate school for mechanical engineering or physics. What would be the best careers for me to look into? I could teach, but I'd like to do that as a side job.
 
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Plan on getting your bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.
 
Well I live near the Norfolk shipyard and various other firms and know a couple people that are retired military who work for a good pay doing a job that requires a masters in physics, I'm just wondering which would be better to do, I could always minor in engineering to have a better prospect.
 
Major in engineering for a better prospect. If you want good pay, like really good, Computer Software Engineering or Chemical Engineering pay generally the most. But if you like physics and have a leaning toward mechanical engineering, then Mechanical Engineering should be your field of choice (I bet the shipyard has lots of them).
 
If you're interested in medical physics you have to go to grad school for medical physics, not medical school.
 

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