Studying Physics: a good choice?

Question

I'm graduating in a few months and I've been thinking about doing Physics in university afterwards. I'm interested in Physics a lot, but I don't know if I'm interested enough to take hard studies.

Is there something I can do to find out if my interest for Physics is profound? Read a book or something? I already looked into the programmes of different universities but that doesn't help me.

Answer 1

Financially, the pure sciences are not very rewarding. Why don't you do something like robotics or engineering instead... these involve application of Physics and yet have much better prospects.

"The median salary for a PhD physicist in business/industry is US$62,000; the median for government work is $63,000." - Nature.com

In contrast, you can do something like computer science (undergrad... contrast that to the PhD in Physics) and make the same amount.

I am of course, talking in terms of average salaries.

All in all, I'll say if you're motivated and love knowledge, go for pure science. But if you are looking to rake in big bucks, and want to be able to pay off college loans, do something as intriguing (robotics or some branch in engineering, as I mentioned) that pays better (a 100, 1000 times better).

Source: I'm in the same boat, due to graduate soon... I have done a lot of research on the topic. Best of luck!

Answer 2

My son graduated from the University of Michigan with a Physics degree and is now in his third year of grad school in NY for his PHD. He loves it and got a fellowship so everything is paid.Do you have good interest in math and science and have good grades? Talk to your counselors at school also.There are so many Physics websites you can look at.Go for it!!!

Answer 3

Hey!

It is fantastic that you want to pursue college studies in physics!!!

You can do so much with a hard sciences degree, especially a higher level one (eg, Master's)!

These days, everyone seems to want a cushy office job in business, psychology, and so on, or wants to be a lawyer or doctor. But the United States is DEFINITELY starting to slack when it comes to producing scientists and engineers. India and China are creeping up quickly in these fields, that's why many jobs are being outsourced to those countries! People don't want to work & study hard and make new discoveries. They want the cushy office jobs. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, we have one of the best healthcare and law systems in the world, but the U.S. needs to produce more scientists and engineers so we can ensure we stay competitive with India and China for generations to come!

Since other countries are starting to focus more on these subjects, their economies are beginning to BOOM and are getting more and more productive. China and other countries are definitely growing economies that seek to compete with the U.S. in the near and distant future.

So I really, really encourage you to seek physics in your college studies. Don't be worried about the difficulty level, work hard and believe in yourself - you can do it! A person with a 2.7 GPA in physics is just as, if not more competitive than a person with a 3.8 GPA in business or psychology, in my opinion! It's kind of a harder field, hands down, (but not too hard, you could do it easily :) and in higher demand with the global economy. If you tell someone you have a degree in physics they will think you're so smart, vrs. someone with a degree in something else.

I'm not an *expert* in the field, nor is anyone else on here that I know of, but I do have a degree in forensic science which is a related field. To be considered an "expert" in any field, you really need a Master's degree (at least) in that particular field. Some of the jobs you could obtain with a degree in physics include:

- scientist
- engineer
- forensic scientist (determining bullet trajectories using sin and cosin, gun recoil, determining the properties of different substances, becoming an expert in blood splatter or infrared radiation, determining who's at fault in a vehicle accident using skid marks, glass fragment analysis, fingerprinting, fiberoptics and biometrics, playing with energy and light, and other cool stuff!)
- rocket scientist or NASA scientist
- etc.

It all depends on how high up you go in your studies! A Master's or Ph.D. will open up more doors than stopping at a bachelor's and a Master's is considered the first "professional" and "research" degree.

Even if you're looking at engineering, you can obtain a bachelor's in physics and get a Master's in engineering. Or, you could simply get your bachelor's in engineering. With a bachelor's in engineering you can do some pretty cool stuff as well, including working for a patent attorney which will rake you in BIG BUCKS (my brother did that!).

I'm not as familiar with engineering but there are some cool fields in engineering including the physics of snow & arctic engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, engineering management, nanotechnology (a REALLY interesting and emerging field) "Since 1997, Plunkett Research notes that Federal government funding for nanotechnology has increased by over 800% to $962 million in 2005," biomedical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, and so on. Computers and technology are also something cool to look at!

Also, one option (I don't know how viable it would be for you) would be to join the military. Some branches, such as the Navy, have a solid need for nuclear engineers and will completely pay for your education and provide you UNMATCHED professional work experience. Then when you get out of the military, get this -- you can make like 5x as much doing the SAME JOB in the private sector (eg at a nuclear power plant) because you will already have the required training & experience!!!!! Also, if you need a top secret clearance for a job in the private sector (eg with Boeing or Lockheed Martin) and you already have one from being in the military, they will be MUCH more likely to hire you because they won't have to spend thousands of dollars trying to get you one! The military can really hook you up if you choose a wise career path. Of course, the military, government, AND private sectors are always looking for physicists as well!!!!!

So you can see you have plenty of options, whether you go physics or engineering, in both the government and private sectors. Whatever you choose to do, I'm sure you will do well! And remember, the more education you get the more you make!

Good luck in your endeavors.