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Careers with degrees in physical sciences?

TheAppleCore

TheAppleCore

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Joined
Jul 14, 2007
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Well, right now I'm studying music, second semester, and I'm starting to think that this is really not for me. I barely even enjoy music anymore unless I'm on drugs. My motivation is dwindling by the day, but I did notice that my brain really perks up in my acoustics class, which deals with the the science of vibrating physical systems.

So, I'm thinking of switching my course of study to some physical science instead, some branch of physics or chemistry. I have no idea what career options exist in these domains, however. What subfield(s) of physical science is/are most lucrative? Or is that an unanswerable question?

Enlighten me.
 
Geology (geophysics may be more to your liking as a sub-field); the oil industry will snap you right up.
 
Chemistry is quite profitable too. Some aspects of physics...particularly quantum electrodynamics and solid state physics, are very lucrative...via the electronics/semi-conductor industry which makes heavy use of them in designing new chips.
 
Thanks - I appreciate the replies. :)

I was in a particularly pessimistic mood when I made this thread, though. I think I might be able to continue my music studies after all. I'll mull it over a bit more.
 
Always been fascinated with ecology. Any school of research that strives to understand the way nature, and the fundamental framework from which we arose/inhabit is just mind blowingly intestesting. More specifically permaculture, and sustainable ecological resource management, and food production methods.

To try and understand nature and its processes/patterns, is the ultimate goal of knowledge aquisition imho.

Electronics are pretty neat too. You don't have to go balls deep into theory, applied electronics, specifically the rapidly growing microcontroller automation aspect, is pretty fascinating. Arduino's and the like, plc's in general, you know how to design/implement systems to replace outdated and ineffecient/unreliable ones, and you are a very sought after professional.

Believe it or not, i walk around where i work every day, and see how labor could be replaced with a few skilled professinonals managing an automated microcontroller system. Yeah people lose their jobs writing down #'s from digital displays every few hours, but thats a stupid decision on behalf of the employer to accomplish such a task so expensively.
 
fuckin heaps - if you do physics you can branch into so many areas. I studied physics and then got into geotech. I got paid an 80k salary to blow rocks up for my student work experience. There are so many possibilities. don't do music man, you can play music with your science degree while the rest of them are handing out pamphlets to their shows for $5 a pop - fuck that!
 
My ex is a biochemistry grad and he made more in his first year than I made in my 3rd year as a doctor. I think if you're passionate and always curious then you will have no problem finding work.

I don't think your music studies are a mistake. It all integrates into something useful down the road. There's nothing wrong with someone who wants to take the musical route either. Some musicians make it big, and even if not, life is not just about money.
 
engineering and geochemical/petroleum sciences are two of the biggest consistent earners. likewise, pretty much any degree with a lot of math, statistics and/or programming can be transitioned into a career in finance.

aussie101 said:
you can play music with your science degree
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this can't be overstated. pursuing a lucrative career doesn't mean you have to give up your passions. obviously you don't want to do anything that makes you unhappy, but sometimes you enjoy the things you love more when you don't rely on them for a living.
 
Foreigner said:
Some musicians make it big, and even if not, life is not just about money.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Money was definitely not the reason I went into music. First and foremost, I want to be able to share my artistic vision with the world.

aussie101 said:
you can play music with your science degree
Click to expand...

double ewe said:
pursuing a lucrative career doesn't mean you have to give up your passions.
Click to expand...

I'd love to think that I could study music as a hobby in parallel with physics, but I know that to become a true master of anything, you have to dedicate almost all of your energy to it. These are mutually exclusive paths.
 
I dunno... I'm studying physics, and yet, I'm also a true master of what to do in the sack...
 
TheAppleCore said:
Yeah. Money was definitely not the reason I went into music. First and foremost, I want to be able to share my artistic vision with the world.

I'd love to think that I could study music as a hobby in parallel with physics, but I know that to become a true master of anything, you have to dedicate almost all of your energy to it. These are mutually exclusive paths.
Click to expand...

I see what you're saying about "studying" music. Fuckabuncha studying it anyways. You can study physics and spend your free time MAKING music. I don't know shit about music theory but have written and recorded (in my home studio) over a hundred songs on guitar. Granted, during grad school I would often go months without touching my guitar, I still had bursts of creativity....especially during the summers.

If I had to go to school for music I'd prolly hate it :D
 
TheAppleCore said:
Ha. =D
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RichardPFeynmanNobelpicture.png.

:D

lol, and another great career in with a physics degree is medical physics. Radiotherapy, diagnostic imaging like SPECT and PET and cardiac stress tests, etc.

There is also industrial radiography, industrial irradiation (like sterilizing food and medical products) and of course, lots of work in the nuclear power industry. Reactor operator, radiation safety officer, etc.
 
^ Man, I need me some elixir of immortality. Then I could do ALL of that exciting stuff. And music.

Hey rangrz, when you're demonstrating your masterful skills in the sack, do you calculate the three-dimensional trajectory of your cum as a parametric function of time, taking air friction into consideration?
 
I do. I also calculate the kinetic energy of floggers, and the force they will impart while impacting, based on their mass, velocity, acceleration and the size of area they impact on. I try to make sure that our hip thrusts are a more or less anti-symmetric wave function so that they are harder/ more forceful, I think about the linear and angular accelerations of a head having it's hair pulled, as to avoid diffuse axonal injury too.
 
I think about the linear and angular accelerations of a head having it's hair pulled, as to avoid diffuse axonal injury too.
Click to expand...

This is a harm-reduction website, first and foremost. ;)

ebola
 
Im in chemistry, and will be teaching at an undergrad institution. I have seen chemistry people (with PhDs or Masters) go on to teach at community colleges, work for the patent office, work for small companies, work for large companies(e.g. Dow chemical, oil companies, etc), work for the EPA, work for tire companies, work for Intel, and all sorts of other careers... its very diverse. You need a PhD to really get anywhere in industry these days. Remember though that while getting a PhD, you don't pay for school, they pay you a stipends (ca. 28-30k a year, depending on the school).
 
whoever said chemistry is profitable has not idea what they are talking about....read blogs like chemjobber or inthepipeline you'll see what a bad idea chemistry is
 
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