What are the career options for a BS in physics graduate looking for guidance?

[mingomania]

Hi guys, I'm kinda in a middle of career crisis here and I need your help. I know many of you are grown adults and perhaps many have also been through this sort crisis before.

About me:

1) I recently graduated with a BS in physics from CUNY Brooklyn College (Not known for physics but this college have a very good relationship with the engineering school Polytechnic, now known as NYU-Poly).

2) My overall GPA is 3.5 and my physics major related courses is also about 3.5

3) The classes I've taken and their grades are:

General Physics 1 (Newtonian) = A
General Physics 2 (E&M and Optics) = A
Circuit Analysis (Nodal, Mesh, Laplace Xform...) = A-
Modern Physics (Relativity, Schrödinger Eq, Tunneling, Spins...) = A+
Quantum Mech 1 (Wave Mechanics approach, propagator, dispersion...) = A
Quantum Mech 2 (Same as 1 but with Dirac's method) = A-
Electromagnetism (Intense E&M) = B T.T
Analytical Mechanics (Intense Newtonian) = A-
Theoretical Physics (Div & Stokes, Fourier Series & Xform, Tensors, all math...) = A
Intro to C++ (control structures, functions, strings, arrays, sorting, classes...) = A
Calculus 1 (Standard) = B-
Calculus 2 (Standard) = C+
Vector Calculus (dot, cross, Green fn, Eq of planes...) = A
Linear Algebra (rref, diagonalizing, a lot of theoretical stuffs) = A
Elementary Differential Eq (1st order, 2nd and higher order) = A
General Chem 1 (Standard) = A-
General Chem 2 (Standard) = B
Organic Chem 1 (Above Standard) = C+ << I got knocked down by course droppers T.T

I took calculus 1, 2 when I was breaking up with my ex. I missed quizzes and lots of absences. I'm actually pretty okay with it. I would say around A- to A level.

4) I love physics (Newtonian, E&M, and circuitry) and I'm pretty good at all of them.

5) I love math and I'm pretty good at it too.

6) So far, I do, kind of, enjoy programming. I'm pretty good at that too.

7) I want a career that's at least in semi-high demand with pretty well pay which are in physics, and/or math. I don't mind doing any programming as well.

Now the problem with this degree is that it lacks specialization. The only type of job I can get with this degree alone is probably tutoring/teaching and stuffs that aren't physics related. What I am planning to do now is become more specialized and get a masters degree. I was thinking about doing some kind of engineering work, like electrical/computer/mechanical...

I've had a talk with a graduate advisor from Polytechnic in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department. He advised me to go into MS TN (Masters of Science in Telecommunication Network) or MS CS (MS in Computer Science) because that's where the job market is trending to.

The advisor showed me one of the TN course books, it doesn't have any physics or math in it. The book looks more like a novel to me than a science book. I don't really know much about CS.

I'm 24 now and I'm still lost sighhhhh. Can anyone give me a direction. I know I'm being pretty picky at what I want but I'm pretty old now and this time I want to make sure I am going at the right direction.

THANKS IN ADVANCE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY!

 

[Highway]

i have no idea why he would recommend a masters in cs if you have only taken 1 compsci course . . . what do you want to do / study without worrying about the job market?

 

[mingomania]

I really like to build/design circuits, IC type of stuffs. I like to solve equations and use programmings I learned to perform numerical calculations. I feel like I can get into mechanical-related field as well, whether it be engineering or analyzing. Basically anything that relates to physics and mathematics. Aside from all the headaches I went through, I actually like all the physics related materials that were taught in that long list, including the theoretical stuffs.

I'm not too crazy about optics. So no imaging.

 

[Highway]

I really like to build/design circuits, IC type of stuffs. I like to solve equations and use programmings I learned to perform numerical calculations. I feel like I can get into mechanical-related field as well, whether it be engineering or analyzing. Basically anything that relates to physics and mathematics. Aside from all the headaches I went through, I actually like all the physics related materials that were taught in that long list, including the theoretical stuffs.

I'm not too crazy about optics. So no imaging.

this sounds like computer/electrical engineering to me . . . not CS or IT

 

[mingomania]

ya that is exactly what I was going for in NYU-POLY for masters. Then I was suggested by the graduate advisor that the market for EE is moving to developing countries for cheaper manufacturing. U.S Dept of Labor pretty much confirm it as well (Either that or I'm reading it wrong). Arg now I check the Dept of Labor again in a different way, it's saying different things. Well I'm not sure how true or how severely true this is. Or am I worrying too much? Please do forgive because I'm 24 and still have no clear direction of what to do with my life.

 

[mal4mac]

I've had a talk with a graduate advisor from Polytechnic in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department. He advised me to go into MS TN (Masters of Science in Telecommunication Network) or MS CS (MS in Computer Science) because that's where the job market is trending to.

Are these courses offered by his department? Are they the ones they find difficult to fill? They sound a bit uninspiring.Try looking for a specialised MSc covering exactly the topics you are interested in. E.g.:

MSc in Analogue and Digital Integrated Circuit Design
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/pgprospectus/facultiesanddepartments/electricalengineering/postgraduatecourses/analogue

 

[mingomania]

Are these courses offered by his department? Are they the ones they find difficult to fill? They sound a bit uninspiring.

MSTN is offered by his department along with MSEE and MSCE. He is basically trying to tell me most of the graduated students he kept in contact with, graduated with various engineering degrees, end up getting a job related to computer science. Since EE and CE does tap into computer science region, it's possible to get a CS job with EE/CE degree. If the case is that most ended up doing CS, he suggests why don't I just go with the CS instead. CS is always in demand from various companies and market is shifting towards TN as well. This is all according to him and the stats from his past graduates.

Yes, the courses and books are very dull and intellectually unstimulated. I can't foresee the future, but I do feel like it's one of those careers where I'm going to find myself sitting at a desktop with my face resting on the top of my palm and staring blank in space.