<p>I really with they made more money. I so want to major in it and go on to obtain a PhD in it, but they make such small amounts of cash compared to equally challenging degrees... /sigh</p>
<p>Astrophysics majors work on wall street after graduation.</p>
<p>You won’t be doing astrophysics though.</p>
<p>Really? Do you personally know anyone who has done this?</p>
<p>I would like to talk to some astrophysicists who are now in gainful employment… 80k or better. Preferably over 120k.</p>
<p>It is unlikely LTY knows anyone who can support his statement. A few minutes looking at other posts will demonstrate that. But by the odds of probability, he is probably correct that someone with an astrophysics degree works on Wall Street. </p>
<p>If you expect to make $80K right out of college, you probably need to be at Wharton or come up with the next great idea. Otherwise, you’ll have start at entry level like everyone else.</p>
<p>If you want to learn about astrophysics majors who now have gainful employment, getting advice from college students like LTY isn’t the place. I suggest you actually talk to someone in the department and see who they work with for outside internships/career placement. Or look for the relevant professional association.</p>
<p>Yes. I have a friend of mine graduated from Harvard in 3 years and can’t find a job as prof at University. Found a job at Merryl Lynch and got filthy rich afterwords. You have to be really good at math and reaaly lucky in timing as well. The example I am citing happend 20 years ago.</p>
<p>I received my BS in Astronomy but went to medical school and earned an MD. I understand how fascinating the study of the Universe is but realize it is not easy to make a living doing it. People are not paid on the basis of how intellectually challenging their major was, they are paid commensurate with the commercial value of the product they produce. A theory that successfully explained the nature of “Dark Energy” and the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe would be an intellectual triumph but has no economic value. Georges Lemaitre was a Catholic priest who invented the Big Bang Theory in 1927. As a Jesuit he had taken a vow of poverty but it did not cost him anything because as intellectually profound as the Big Bang Theory was and the way it changed our view of the Universe, it had no commercial value. </p>
<p>I have heard of scientists being paid large salaries by Wall Street firms to construct mathematical models to predict stock prices which would have tremendous economic value if it could be done. Personally, I have doubts that a mathematical model could be developed that would allow someone to consistently beat the market.</p>
<p>the wall street people who at heavily in math and physics are called quants. they are around the interwebs somewhere. I’ve met a few in person, but didn’t really keep in contact.</p>
<p>some things I’ve noticed:
*learn to program. C++ seems to be the standard.
*don’t study things like “financial engr”. the reason quants were hired was because they could teach themselves anything they needed to know. you get that skill suffering through a phd. you don’t know what kind of math you need to know 2 years from know. you need to be able to learn it fast, or else someone else will be making money you arent.
*work closer to money -> money. people who work near money, apparently, tend to look down at people who don’t. but there are other benefits (work hours, job security, etc)
*don’t go to a top ivy-league-ish school. if you get an astrophysics phd from harvard, it assumed you would rather work in academia/are likely to get such job. (<– I question the validity of this statement. academic jobs are hard to find everywhere… going to MIT doesn’t make it easier…)
*people currently in academia tend to be really clueless as to what you need to know if you want to be a quant. but go to the econ department, and they tend to be clueless about how businesses really run anyway… it’s everywhere.</p>
<p>if you’re phd school has a sizable theory (all forms of physics and even chem) groups, im sure some professors have some students who went on to be quants. see if you can get their emails or something.</p>
<p>I guess this would be a nice thread for me. </p>
<p>I’m currently a physics major, right now want to eventually get a PhD in astrophysics. Honestly, all I need is a salary to live on…well, as far as I can see. Money isn’t important to me; I just need enough to live on. But how small is the job market for research opportunities right now for researchers in that area?</p>
<p>I’m not looking to work as a quant. I want to do research in astrophysics. </p>
<p>If I can do that and make a decent living… let’s say apartment on the good side of town, one truck and a Harley, fast internet access, advanced smart phone with the top information package, as well as cable television. I’d say that would do it for me. Anything past that is just gravy. I didn’t mention the obvious needs like food because I figure that’s a given. You could argue that an apartment on the good side of town is a given as well, but there are some people who really don’t care so long as they have a place. Haha I think that’s pretty specific!</p>
<p>If I can’t have all that with fun money and do research in astrophysics, then I’ll switch to aerospace engineering. All I know is I want to study space and space travel as well as exploration with unmanned mechanics. I hope that makes sense.</p>
<p>I’d hate to be the one to squash your dreams, but other than being a quant, an actuary or some other high math functional occupation, you not going to get a job. The only way you could likely get a job in astrophysics would be as a professor and the academic route to tenure is fraught with long years of low pay, uncertainty, and poor chances of ever getting tenure. The odds of getting tenure I believe are about 10% and you may end up at a university in the middle of Wyoming or something.</p>
<p>On the plus side, you can probably get an apartment on the good side of Casper with a professor’s salary.</p>