Physics Career

TheZestyLemon

Hello,

I apologise in advance if this board receives countless threads on this matter and if so, please delete it.

I'm very interested in physics, mostly astrophysics and particle physics. As of late I've really just seen it as an interest or a hobby but now I find I might study it in university.

Well, what I'd like to know is what kind of job could aim for with a degree in physics? I realise that there are a lot of options with one, so let me simplify the question. Do you have a career in physics, if you do what is it? What does it involve?

Thanks, and once again, if this is one of many other threads just delete it.

Morbert

TheZestyLemon wrote: »

Hello,

I apologise in advance if this board receives countless threads on this matter and if so, please delete it.

I'm very interested in physics, mostly astrophysics and particle physics. As of late I've really just seen it as an interest or a hobby but now I find I might study it in university.

Well, what I'd like to know is what kind of job could aim for with a degree in physics? I realise that there are a lot of options with one, so let me simplify the question. Do you have a career in physics, if you do what is it? What does it involve?

Thanks, and once again, if this is one of many other threads just delete it.

The key transferable skills a physics degree offers is experience with computer programming on a technical and numerical level, as well as confidence in applying mathematics to your work. Because of this, you will often find physicists in finance jobs, or in software engineering.

The route to being an actual physicist can be a bit of a minefield, but you're never in a position where you're disadvantaged by your degree.

I'm finishing up a PhD in electronic structure theory (How electrons behave in materials).

TheZestyLemon

Well, I also have an interest in computers, so I guess that would help.

What do you plan do after you get your PhD?

Morbert

TheZestyLemon wrote: »

Well, I also have an interest in computers, so I guess that would help.

What do you plan do after you get your PhD?

I'm leaning more and more towards software engineering, but keeping options open.

Typically, once you finish your PhD, and you want to stay in Academia, you do short term contracts called "postdocs" until you get a more permanent position. If your field is more applied, like solid state physics, you can also look for jobs in industry research, typically involving less freedom but more money (so I've heard).

If you are interested in particle physics, and also have an interest in computers, you might like fields like lattice QCD.

Justin1982

We used to joke about working in McDonalds once we graduated when I was studying Theoretical Physics.

But with hindsight and experience working in Ebay and then Hedge funds since I graduated, I'd say that the world is basically your oyster if you graduate in physics.

If you work at it and get decent results in your final degree then you can basically do whatever interests you.......So research career if your good and have the drive or if at the end of your degree you decide to sell out and get a real job that pays the most then you have a lot of options. I've a friend who got into programming in college and works at that now. I've a friend who got a job with Ericsson in Dublin travelling around the world giving courses in mobile infrastrastructure and I ended up in Hedge funds.

There is about a billion zillion different careers a physicist can get into if they want to. Sometimes an add on course after primary degree can help also. So if you wanted to get into actuary then you could start studying actuary to help you get into the industry.

What way you see your career going?
You intereted in Astrophysics or Particle Physics but worried that there isnt the career options available to get into it after primary degree? You might need to get good results to get into that sort of career or you might need to move to Britain, Europe or America to pursue the career but there is options in Ireland. Astrophysics research and career options in most of the universities in Ireland. For particle physics it might be a bit more focused in Theoretical Particle Physics in Trinity. Not sure its a major option in other unis outside Dublin.

TheZestyLemon

My ideal job would be to become an astronomer yet I've realised that you'd need a PhD for something like that.

Say I was to apply for a job in software development with Physics degree and someone with a degree in computers does as well, who would you imagine would be more likely to get the job based on their education alone?

Justin1982

TheZestyLemon wrote: »

My ideal job would be to become an astronomer yet I've realised that you'd need a PhD for something like that.

Say I was to apply for a job in software development with Physics degree and someone with a degree in computers does as well, who would you imagine would be more likely to get the job based on their education alone?

Yeah for a research career you'll need to do a phd and then postdoc. Its a tough road and you'd have to work hard and be damn ambitious.

Getting a job in Software development might require doing a masters in proper software development after primary degree. Although you could try and choose as many programming modules as possible in your physics degree. You get choices come third year and fourth year as to what direction you want your degree to go......Astrohphysics, Material Physics, Computational Physics, yadda yadda yadda........

If you did a lot of computational physics courses then you'd be on the right path towards getting a job developing computer software.
I'm not sure there is or will be too much competition for a well qualified computational physics graduate.
There probably is a huge demand for software developers and they are probably in high demand even during the recession.

As an example, I know that my friends girlfriend did physics in college, probably wasnt too experienced in computer programming except at a basic level, but she got a starter job developing software with some financial software company. Company provided all the training she needed and the pay was good (circa 30k starter). That was two years ago at height of recession and cutbacks.

Of course if your a useless lazy lump who gets a low grade in primary degree and dont bother to learn to programme to a half decent level during the degree then that will reflect in your CV and employer might not want you.

krd

Justin1982 wrote: »

But with hindsight and experience working in Ebay and then Hedge funds since I graduated, I'd say that the world is basically your oyster if you graduate in physics.

What do you do for the hedge funds?

Ed Thorp Beat The Market?

I'd be very interested to know precisely what goes on in the funds. What maths is being used, and how the data is manipulated etc.

Justin1982

krd wrote: »

What do you do for the hedge funds?

Ed Thorp Beat The Market?

I'd be very interested to know precisely what goes on in the funds. What maths is being used, and how the data is manipulated etc.

I'm really just a monkey in the hedge fund business. Started in administration. Progressed to work in swap pricing. But there is other areas that might be more interesting to someone with a degree in maths or physics like Risk Analytics, Programing, Actuary or Trading.

A lot of the real Hedge funds out there (well the ones that I deal with anyway) are a fairly talented bunch. There is different types of hedge funds but they mainly trade on the derivative markets, equity markets and fx markets trying to squeeze every last penny of profit out of everyone that they can. And they generally do this in a sustainable way. As in they try to make profit in the good and the bad times by a combination of going long and short on different products using different strategies. Proper Hedge funds seem to be able to do this most of the time from what I see.

Personally I dont find it very interesting and a complete waste of every ones time but it pays the bills.

I generally just look forward to getting home in the evenings and reading some General Relativity, Cosmology or Quantum Field Theory. Much more noble endeavours imho.

krd

Justin1982 wrote: »

A lot of the real Hedge funds out there (well the ones that I deal with anyway) are a fairly talented bunch. There is different types of hedge funds but they mainly trade on the derivative markets, equity markets and fx markets trying to squeeze every last penny of profit out of everyone that they can. And they generally do this in a sustainable way. As in they try to make profit in the good and the bad times by a combination of going long and short on different products using different strategies. Proper Hedge funds seem to be able to do this most of the time from what I see.

I'm not sure how "talented" these people are. I've heard banks etc, have been buying in trading platforms and algorithms, and the "talented" people have been more or less, **** with "good social skills", getting other people (****), to press buttons Homer Simpson Nuclear Power Plant management style.

It's a recipe for disaster.

*cough* steal as much sh1t in there as you can...we'll set up our own hedge fund - The Uranus Fund.

A while back I saw a comment elsewhere, from a programmer who had been hired to support a "star" trader. He ended up doing all the maths, while he said the "star" trader concentrated on colour schemes for the investors prospectus.

Personally I dont find it very interesting and a complete waste of every ones time but it pays the bills.

Unlike Theoretical Physics, which pays absolutely nothing. Unless, you're Brian Cox.....Who gets to wave his arms for lots of money.

I generally just look forward to getting home in the evenings and reading some General Relativity, Cosmology or Quantum Field Theory. Much more noble endeavours imho.

I don't know.....I think there's a lot of value in it that hasn't been found yet.

At the same time it's horrific. And for that I blame mathematicians (In a popular university text I have, there is the line "a function is a solution to a function"........And to that mathematician I would say "your face is the solution to my knuckles")

The thing about finding out new things, is you don't find them where they're known. Like the story of the madman who's searching for his keys underneath the street light, though he lost them elsewhere......He's searching beneath the street light "because that's where the light is"

If you can't learn Stat Arb where you are....At least learn to embezzle.

Neodymium

Physics graduates also end up working in the video games industry. According to this from the institute of physics, 20% of people in the video games industry have a physics/maths/engineering degree.
I am a first year physics student (technically mathematical sciences at the moment) and I don't have the faintest idea of what career path I would like to take when I finish the course. My choice for choosing physics was simple, I love physics and maths, that's it.

krd

Neodymium wrote: »

Physics graduates also end up working in the video games industry. According to this from the institute of physics, 20% of people in the video games industry have a physics/maths/engineering degree.
I am a first year physics student (technically mathematical sciences at the moment) and I don't have the faintest idea of what career path I would like to take when I finish the course. My choice for choosing physics was simple, I love physics and maths, that's it.

Prepare as much as you can for your "career". A lot of people don't and get caught out at the end of their degree - and end up working in customer service for an insurance company, hiding the fact you have a degree - hiding the fact you have a brain, as it will land you in serious trouble if they find out you do. (and that happens a lot more than people will tell you)

Try to get internships. And really do your research on companies - while you are a student.

There are good jobs out there, but there are also a lot of really bad ones.

There are a huge amount of things that you can do, and should do.

What will make you attractive to software employers is your exposure to industry standard environments and tools - like Visual Studio. Most developer jobs are just mucking around with corporate databases.

Another thing I've noticed that's become de riguer for young graduates: Sports. If you can get on your college rugby team, great. But if you can't, get on one of the running and jumping teams - you don't really have to be any good, go on one of their drinking trips and then put it on your CV that you ran and jumped for the college...........Table tennis, volleyball, those you do not put on your CV, not manly enough, a little suspect.