A physics degree can be your stepping stone to get into a range of industries such as IT, finance, science, engineering, and so on. Employers of physics graduates usually include schools and colleges, government institutions, academic institutions, armed forces, etc.
Physics graduates can even take up careers that are outside of science. Some of the popular options include computing, consulting, banking and finance, law, transport, and more. Having a physics degree tells a prospective employer that you have the drive and ambition to succeed in a wide range of technical or scientific fields.
Those who want to get into academia can consider becoming a professor. Apart from lecturing students, professors have to indulge in writing research papers, work on their own research, give guest lectures, attend conferences, etc.
Data Scientists are one of the most sought-after people in the jobs section these days. Such a person should be able to gather information from various sources, analyze them and understand how the data affects the business. Physics majors who have a strong analytical bent of mind will find the job satisfying and they can be extremely good at it. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of data scientist jobs will increase by about 28% through 2026.
A professional who applies the principles of both medicine and physics is called a medical physicist. They focus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment, including ensuring that quality services are being delivered to the patients. Medical physicists use a variety of analytical, computer-aided and bio-engineering techniques in their work such as radiotherapy, x-ray imaging, tomography, etc.
They try to understand stars, planets, celestial objects, and galaxies. An astrophysicist’s responsibilities will include analysis of data and statistics, plotting, logging, evaluating and reporting the results. This could involve coordinating data received from telescopes and various satellites, after which, theoretical models are used to compare the data and align images.
They are responsible for designing aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, weapons systems and more. Apart from this, they are also responsible for assembling, maintaining, and making sure they function properly at all times. They work primarily for firms that are in manufacturing, analysis and design, R&D, and for the government.
They apply the concepts of physics, geology, mathematics, and engineering to study the physical characteristics of the earth and other planets. A geophysicist measures gravity, seismic waves, magnetic fields, natural electric current, and temperatures. Geophysicists also work for mining, oil and natural gas companies where they are usually looking for mineral or petroleum deposits.
This job requires the person to conduct a lot of experiments, document their findings, manage staff, present papers, create theories based on the findings, develop methods on applying physical laws, etc. As a research scientist, there are immense opportunities to work with public and private sector companies.
They are responsible for designing and developing programs and applications. Application engineers should be able to do customer analysis to create applications that respond to the needs of the customers. They are in high demand these days across a variety of industries and you can expect to see a lot of growth in the coming years. If you want a headstart in the technology space, starting out as an applications engineer is something that you should be seriously considering.
Designing manufacturing plants which transform raw materials into consumer products is what process engineers do. Process engineers work in oil production, chemical industry, bio industry, refinery industry, nuclear plants, pharmaceutical companies, etc. A process engineer should have excellent analytical and math skills, possess the ability to persuade changes to existing processes, strong attention to detail, and so on.
These professionals analyse how the IT systems, including hardware and software fit perfectly with the business needs of the organization. System analysts write requirements for new systems, including implementing and monitoring them. They also develop and evaluate workflow solutions. The kind of skills required from them include analytical skills and a logical approach when it comes to solving problems.