What do astrophysicists do outside of academia?

  • Context: Physics 
  • Thread starter Thread starter AerospaceKid
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Academia Outside
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the career options and potential salaries for astrophysicists outside of academia. It includes various fields where their skills may be applicable, as well as references to additional resources for further information.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the types of jobs astrophysicists can pursue outside of academic settings and their potential salaries with a PhD.
  • Another participant suggests various career paths such as quantitative analyst, computer programmer, data miner, actuary, and even a Starbucks manager, noting that these are educated guesses and that many options likely exist.
  • A third participant provides links to previous discussions and mentions an astrophysicist who has worked in the oil and financial industries, suggesting that their insights could be valuable.
  • A light-hearted comment is made regarding the previous participant's contributions, indicating a friendly tone in the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that there are multiple career paths available for astrophysicists outside of academia, but no consensus is reached on which options are more common or preferable.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not provide specific salary figures or detailed descriptions of the job roles mentioned, leaving these aspects open to interpretation and further exploration.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals considering a career in astrophysics, those interested in job opportunities outside of academia, and readers looking for insights into the applicability of astrophysics skills in various industries.

AerospaceKid
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
I am wondering what astrophysicists do outside of academia. also what would their salary be with a PHD?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
work for a bank as a quantitative analyst?

find work as a computer programmer?

data mining?

become an actuary?

starbucks manager?

all of these are educated guesses, I'd imagine there are loads and loads of options available, but some of these may be more common than others.
 
A couple of useful links:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=491468
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=391553
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=354287
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=376191
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=404234
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=532100

Also look around for twofish-quant's posts, he's an astrophysicist who worked in oil and financial industries with some insightful posts.

Might also be helpful to look in the academic advice forum as well.
 
Lol. hadsed you should be in charge of the sticky's. :wink:
 

Similar threads

Physics Working as a Researcher in academia without teaching/lecturing
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
5K
Physics Tenure tracks and dead ends in academia
  • · Replies 27 ·
Replies
27
Views
4K
Physics Theoretical Physics Careers in Germany
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Physics Should I apply to do an astrophysics PhD or stick with an engineering job?
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
3K
Physics Do endowed research positions exist in physics like Terrence Tao has?
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
4K
Physics Quantum Computing masters with Theoretical physics background
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
Physics Leaving Academia While Still Contributing to Physics Research
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
Physics What types of industrial jobs do physics PhDs tend to land?
  • · Replies 35 ·
2
Replies
35
Views
14K
Job Skills Physics Careers: Expectations vs. Reality
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
5K
Physics Concerns about my career stability in academia
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K