Careers
in Physics
Will you have a BA with a major
in physics, but not sure what the possibilities are? Looking
for a research assistant or lab tech job? Want some time away
from academia before graduate school, but still want to work
in a physics related field?
The good news is that you are
qualified for many jobs in physics fields with a Bachelor's degree.
However, these positions are not frequently advertised in newspaper
want-ads or other more traditional avenues. So where do you look?
Professional societies,
university job postings,
national laboratories, industry, and other
job posting sites are all promising avenues to explore.
Not really sure where to start
or just want more information on careers in physics? Compiled
here are some ideas on where to start.
Professional Societies
Professional societies offer
the opportunity to network with professionals in your field.
Many have their own web pages with job postings. In addition
to posting jobs, professional societies' web pages give information
for undergraduates on how to prepare for a career in physics-related
fields. Below are some examples; however this is far from a comprehensive
list. Ask your professors which societies they belong to for
more ideas.
By becoming a student member
of a professional society, you gain all the benefits of membership
at a much reduced student price (around $15-$20 compared to the
$40-$60 regular membership). These benefits include reduced
registration costs for attending and presenting at annual
society meetings, reduced journal subscription costs,
and newsletter subscriptions. Student members gain access
to society job listings as well.
American
Astronomical Society
American
Institute of Physics
- AIP
Career Services -- Career
resources and job listings for physicists. The jobs
listings allow you to search within four categories: Industry,
Academic, Bachelor's, Government/Other.
American
Physical Society
- APS
Careers in Physics --
Job listings for all education levels as well as summer work
for undergraduates. Many links to other physics-related job banks.
Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
University Job Postings
If you are interested in a Laboratory
Technician or Research Assistant position, the job postings of
the university or college you want to work for are the most promising
places to look, though professional
societies and industry will advertise
these positions as well.
Once you've decided where you
might like to work, visit that university's website and look
for the Job Opportunities or Employment Opportunities page. If
it is not immediately obvious on the university's main page,
often the quickest way to locate it is by accessing the site
index. In addition to checking the job listings, it is a good
idea to research the professors working at the institution and
to contact them directly (telephone, email, letter) about working
with them.
Below are a few examples of job
listing sites from universities. Though you may not want to work
specifically at one of the listed schools, you can access them
to compare job responsibilities and pay scales. While there are
a number of Lab Tech and Research Assistant positions advertised,
note that these are not the only types of jobs available to graduates
at universities.
National Laboratories
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab --
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a world-renowned research
and development center. The mission of the Laboratory is to serve
as a national resource of scientific, technical, and engineering
capability with a special focus on global security, global ecology
and bioscience. LLNL is operated by the University of California
under a contract with the US Department of Energy.
- Los Alamos National Lab -- Los Alamos lab, located with the town
of Los Alamos approximately 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, occupies
43 square miles of land in Northern New Mexico. Owned by the
Department of Energy, Los Alamos has been managed by the University
of California since 1943, when the Laboratory was born as part
of the Manhattan Project to create the first atomic weapons during
World War II. National security remains the central part of Los
Alamos' mission, but our scientific expertise is very broad and
ranges from innovative biological research to modeling global
climate, and from novel methods for examining material properties
to helping explore the outer reaches of the solar system. We
also boast what is arguably the greatest concentration of scientific
computing power on the planet.
- Oak Ridge National Lab -- ORNL is a multi program science and
technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy
by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation. Scientists and
engineers at ORNL conduct basic and applied research and development
to create scientific knowledge and technological solutions that
strengthen the nation's leadership in key areas of science; increase
the availability of clean, abundant energy; restore and protect
the environment; and contribute to national security.
- Sandia National Lab - Sandia National Laboratories is a multi program
laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin
Company, for the U.S. Department of Energy. Sandia is one of
the country's premier research and engineering facilities, employing
about 7,500 people at major facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico
and Livermore, California. Test sites are located in Nevada and
Hawaii.
- Brookhaven National Lab - Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research facility located
on Long Island, New York, on a 5,300-acre campus just north of
Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway. (maps) BNL has been around
since 1947, doing world-class scientific research in physics,
medicine, biology, chemistry, environmental science. . . and
more!
Industry
Industry offers not only research
and technical positions, but opportunities in sales and marketing
as well.
- PhysLink Companies listing -- A huge listing of High-Tech companies' websites.
By visiting each company you're interested in, you can learn
about the company and check their job listings online.
Other Job Postings
- PhysLink
-- The ulitmate physics
resource. Lists career information, links to professional societies
and industry, job
posting, news, and other fun stuff for physicists!
- Nature --
Nature Magazine's searchable database for all types of science
jobs around the world for all education levels.
- Science
-- Science Magazine's searchable database for all types of science
jobs for all education levels.
What else do physicists do?
Want more information about what
kinds of jobs are out there for physicists? Here are some good
places to start gaining more information.
- Talk to your professors -- after all they have careers in physics!
- Talk to alumni who work in
physical fields. It may
be especially helpful to talk to alumni who do not have careers
in academia. They can give you an idea of what physicists do
outside of academics. A Career Counselor in the CDO can help
put you in touch with alumni.
- Talk to a Career Counselor. They can help you focus your career
and job searching goals as well as give you ideas on where to
look and who to talk to about the type of job you want.
- The CDO library has numerous resources to help you
explore careers in physics. Check out the sections in the
library marked "Careers in Science," and/or "Careersin
Health Professions." They contain resources such as Nontraditional
Careers in Science, Job Opportunities in Health and Science,
Alternative Careers in Science.
- In addition to print resources, you may want to investigate professional
societies' web pages or these other web-resources:
The Sloan Foundations's Career Cornerstone -- Explore this site to learn more about
the wide range of careers available for those with a degree in
physics. Physicists, from those with bachelors degree to PhDs,
do many things beyond research and they make competitve salaries
at the same time. This web site will educate you on the career
benefits of physics and advise you on how to follow up on your
own interests.
National Academy of Science Publication
-- Careers in Science and Engineering
Tips About Graduate School -- Thinking about graduate school? This
web page can help you decide whether or not to go, help you decide
where to go, and how to apply.
American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) -- general information on medical school
admissions, a link to the American Medical College Application
Service, and help registering for the Medical College Admisions
Test (MCAT).
