I love physics. I want to be a physicist, by which I mean that I want to perform physics experiments and (hopefully) thereby help humanity understand the nature of the universe a little better.
The only problem is there are many, many physics PhDs and very, very few jobs in "pure physics," AND there are even fewer jobs in which one can design and run one's own experiments. The jobs that do exist in "pure physics" (almost exclusively in academia) are usually as assistant professors, where the salary is incredibly low and the position is basically a highly qualified "lab assistant" job. Perhaps most importantly, post-doc and non-tenured job tracks at universities only last a couple years. There is no job security. Every couple of years you have to be willing to move to wherever you can find another position-IF you can find another position at all. It's a rather bleak prospect to me.
This isn't just about salary. I'm pretty frugal and never getting paid more than $30k a year (USD) wouldn't bother me so much if it meant I could pursue my passions. But that is not the real issue. It's the idea that I'd never be able to settle down, probably never get married or have a long-term relationship, and probably never be able to retire. There is enormous stress that comes with such a level of insecurity about future prospects.
Alternatively, there are many careers "with physics" that are not "pure physics." This basically means you give up on the big existential questions and instead focus on commercially viable research, or even worse- take a financial or management job. I really don't want to do any of these things.
So what should I do? Should I give up on physics altogether and instead go to a more "sensible" profession like medicine? Should I follow my heart and be an overqualified, underpaid gypsy with no future? Should I sell my soul and research things that don't interest me for the sake of job security? Am I being a big cry baby?
The only problem is there are many, many physics PhDs and very, very few jobs in "pure physics," AND there are even fewer jobs in which one can design and run one's own experiments. The jobs that do exist in "pure physics" (almost exclusively in academia) are usually as assistant professors, where the salary is incredibly low and the position is basically a highly qualified "lab assistant" job. Perhaps most importantly, post-doc and non-tenured job tracks at universities only last a couple years. There is no job security. Every couple of years you have to be willing to move to wherever you can find another position-IF you can find another position at all. It's a rather bleak prospect to me.
This isn't just about salary. I'm pretty frugal and never getting paid more than $30k a year (USD) wouldn't bother me so much if it meant I could pursue my passions. But that is not the real issue. It's the idea that I'd never be able to settle down, probably never get married or have a long-term relationship, and probably never be able to retire. There is enormous stress that comes with such a level of insecurity about future prospects.
Alternatively, there are many careers "with physics" that are not "pure physics." This basically means you give up on the big existential questions and instead focus on commercially viable research, or even worse- take a financial or management job. I really don't want to do any of these things.
So what should I do? Should I give up on physics altogether and instead go to a more "sensible" profession like medicine? Should I follow my heart and be an overqualified, underpaid gypsy with no future? Should I sell my soul and research things that don't interest me for the sake of job security? Am I being a big cry baby?
. However if you have a masters in physics there are a lot of places that'll take you onto a research team in industry. You might not be trying to unify GR and QFT or be trying to find the god clock, but companies like IBM are doing really high up stuff in solid state physics and quantum computing. Plus physics can take you all over the world, there's a shortage of us everywhere, and have you ever heard of an unemployed physics graduate? Astrophysicists love using it as a great way to travel to sunny and exotic places. I wouldn't give up your dream just yet, physics opens so many doors that you can try out running around doing experiments and stuff, then if you decide you just want a plain, secure office job then it's not difficult to find something in that vein.
