<p>I am primarily interested in chemistry and physics( my major is physics) but it seems as though job prospects are dismal in all areas of science. When I say job prospects, I am referring to positions in your given field of study. I mean even the phd holders seem to struggle getting employment in their field. Honestly, it feels like college is only worth going to if you want to be an engineer or a computer scientist. I have recently began to doubt my decision about studying physics, and have</p>
<p>started considering electrical engineering, mostly for the monetary gain and job security. I realize most will say follow your passion blah blah blah, but real life is a little bit more complicated than that. I am torn between science( what I love, but not so great job prospects) and engineering( good job prospects, but potentially boring, TO ME.) Most engineering jobs after graduation, from what I've heard and researched, seem extremely monotonous. I'm having a really hard time deciding on what I should and shouldn't do. I'm a second semester college student btw (4.0 gpa) and no internships yet.</p>
<p>I am going to be that cliche person and tell you to major in what you love. I am going to be majoring Chemistry and while I am completely aware of the obstacles that await for certain jobs, there is nothing I can do about it. Like you said, there are a lot of engineering jobs, but I am not going to major in it JUST because. I completely understand that it’s tough of there for college graduates, and there is no lie about that, but there are jobs. While it may not be easy to get these jobs or they may require advanced degrees, I am willing to do what I have to do to get a job in the field that I love.</p>
<p>I really do not plan on switching my goals and my future plans just because I “may” get better job prospects or offers. Jobs exist, and there are jobs. They may be sparse, but they exist. Not to long ago just to see what was out there I went and searched and there are lots of jobs in Chemistry, and they are of course different in variety and ranging from states all over the country. One thing I noticed though is based on what I plan to do with my degree, I am going to have to move. </p>
<p>While I am interested in Chemical Engineering myself, I personally could not see myself enjoying any other kind of engineering. Everyone is going to tell you something different and that is totally okay of course, and this is probably really bias because I want to major in Chemistry myself, but I am just telling you what I think.</p>
<p>Surely, you must have considered some other path though, right? I mean the idea of working so hard towards something just to face unemployment or change of career is really demoralizing to me. Maybe this is a sign that I am not cut out for science, I don’t know.</p>
<p>btw I made an error in my first post. I am a second semester sophomore in college; so this is my fourth semester. Needless to say, I have to decide on a major by no later than December.</p>
<p>I thought of being a Lawyer, teacher, web designer, anthropologist, police officer, business analyst, and even more. I was an extremely indecisive person a few years ago.</p>
<p>Frankly, with a major in physics, your job prospects are not all that bleak as long as you are willing to work in a field other than physics. It is a fact that, apart form the field of Radiation Health Physics, if you want to be a physicist in industry, you probably need a Ph.D. or a M.S. at least. However, you can find physicists doing engineering, software and many other kinds of work. </p>
<p>In any case, if you really like physics and aren’t too enamored of engineering, stick with physics and then see what your options are in your final year. One path you might choose to improve your opportunities for employment is to aggressively seek out summer internships.</p>
<p>I could be wrong, but I always thought that the bleak job prospects for science was only for those who were committed to working in academia as a professor. I thought that at least some science disciplines (such as chemistry) were OK if they were willing to consider working in industry as well as academia. I could be wrong though.</p>
<p>It is not much better in the private sector. A lot of companies don’t even hire their science staff directly any more. They use staffing agencies and after those pimps get their cut you are left with no benefits, no raises, no career development and $15-20 an hour. That is just a slap in the face for anyone smart enough for a chemistry degree.</p>
<p>Now a days when I see people major in chemistry it is like watching a supermodel marry an ugly jerk who abuses her and tells her she is worthless. You just know that person deserves and is capable of better than that.</p>
<p>I don’t see anything else that I would rather do with my life though. Chemistry and physics are the only things I can sit down with and genuinely enjoy. I guess I’ll take my chances.</p>
<p>I don’t see anything else that I would rather do with my life though. Chemistry and physics are the only things I can sit down with and genuinely enjoy. I guess I’ll take my chances.</p>
<p>I would consider the work environment culture of jobs in Chemistry vs. Physics. The actual day-to-day, on the job work of each profession. Use that to differentiate. It depends on your area of interest. There are many advances being made in condensed matter physics and the field is really exciting (look at the Nobel Prize this year for the blue LED!). Metamaterials are finding new uses in battery technology and novel device applications. Physicists or Electrical Engineering majors (also physicists- engineers working in physics) are doing this work. Solar cell technology and new batteries are being developed by chemists and physicists (Tesla is just about to break ground on a huge battery factor in Nevada that will need some active R&D and Product development work). Many physicists work as analysts/programmers. There is surely a lot of interesting work in that area for US citizens working on classified programs. Geophysicists are working on Global Warming predictions. The initiative to protect the planet from low-liklihood, but catastrophic asteroid impact employs physicists. Much of what is exciting right now in the world (unless you want to write the newest app to remotely pay your parking meter or something else equally useful to society) is directly in the domain of physicists and chemists. Many start-up hardware companies originate from a physics or chemistry basis. Medical device companies, micro-flow high-throughput screening companies, new biomedical applications- all need physicists or chemists. The Obama Brain initiative and the burgeoning field of neuroscience is all about biochemistry. Few scientists are needed on any given team, but they are often in the most exciting key positions. Boring jobs are really not the domain of a physicist or chemist (or many non-entry-level engineers).</p>
<p>I’ve run into a number of oil company geophysicists during my int’l job assignments, so if seeing the world is appealing to you, there is the potential for an int’l career, not just a career in Houston. The career is an office job, not on an oil rig.</p>
<p>Even with a graduate degree you may not even be employed in the field at all. Most of the people I went to grad school with and got a PhD ended up in post-doc limbo going from crappy post doc to post-doc. </p>
<p>Some of the people I graduated with fled to HS teaching. How crappy a field is that people go to teaching as a refuge.</p>
<p>Exactly, computers software and data are where the careers are. Research and Development (science) is where people are used, exploited and spit out.</p>