What can I do with a physics degree?
One of the great benefits of studying physics is the employability and the wide range of potential career directions afterwards. Physics grads are a blank canvas for employers to mould!
This guide should help you think about the skills you have, the jobs they can be applied to, and the options available.
Skills you should have picked up include:
- communication and presentation skills
- computational and data-processing skills
- data analysis using a range of appropriate statistical methods and packages
- identify and predict trends and patterns
- problem solving skills
- report writing
- research skills.
Obvious careers for physicists that want to start now include working for research companies like DSTL or consultancies like Atkins. These employers generally use on the job training and take on many graduates each year.
Other jobs physics graduates go into include finance and IT. The creation of models or running of analysis are also big employers of physics graduates. Associated roles can include anything from risk analysis to weather forecasting.
One area where physics students are sadly lacking is teaching. The government has set up a scholarship scheme to support graduates who want to train to teach.
Other solid careers for physics graduates include:
- aerospace engineering
- energy and power provision
- environmental consultancy
- manufacturing (including computers, electronics, medical equipment)
- medical technologies
- patent work
- research and development
- scientific publishing
- water and environmental control.
Of course there are plenty of other things you can do with a physics degree. They don’t even have to have any visible connection to physics. Just take these famous graduates for example:
- Dara Ó Briain
- Mike Judge (writer of Beavis and Butt-head)
- Brian May
- Angela Merkel
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