<p>Every source I've read on the best way to get jobs as a physics and or mathematics major is to do internships while in college. The problem is, I cannot find any company that is at all interested in hiring me for an internship. Finance and banking companies want only finance and banking students, programming companies want only CS students, and the same is true for engineering companies. And it's not like these students get first priority, rather it would seem to me that if you do not have X degree you pretty much have the same chance of getting a position as a high school graduate (zero).</p>
<p>So, how would one in my position go about securing an internship position?</p>
<p>Not sure if it helps, but you don’t actually have to put your major on your resume - or even mention it ever, for that matter. If, for example, you have a ton of CS experience but not a CS, just post your experience and not your major. They probably won’t ask.</p>
<p>@NeoDymium: That won’t work as well, unfortunately. Companies specifically request your transcript and major on your resume or your application. They don’t care if you have the required skills, they just want to see major X and relevant coursework in X. </p>
<p>Have you tried research programs? There are many physics REUs, or you could do research at your university. Doing research may not be your immediate end-goal but you can still learn valuable skills and it’s still something to put on your resume to help in the future. Have you searched for physics internships (rather than searching for CS or finance internships, as you appear to be doing for some reason)? A two-second google search brought up lots of options (like this <a href=“Internships”>Internships), and while I’m sure many are competitive, have you tried applying to any? It’s probably too late for most summer programs–are you looking for something during the school year? That’s going to depend mostly on what’s in the area of your school and what transportation or resources you have. Working with a professor on a research project (if any is available) may be a good way to get started.</p>
<p>And if you do want to go into finance or something, even if you don’t have that specific major, if you have the coursework and any relevant experience, that might be enough to get you an interview at least. Are you a physics or a math major?</p>
Some of them do, some of them don’t. I’ve gotten away without ever being asked before.
If the major is mentioned only at the end, sometimes it becomes an afterthought. </p>
<p>If you need visa sponsorship, that certainly makes things more difficult. If so, academia or at least a Masters is your best bet.</p>
<p>@baktrax: I’ve spent the past three summers doing research in mainly computational/experimental condensed matter physics, optics, and plasma physics. I’ve picked up a lot of programming and engineering knowledge along the way, but at this time I have no interest in pursuing research as I have recently decided against going to graduate school. As for physics internships, there simply are not any. Research is not an internship as it doesn’t pay nor do employers see it as valuable experience. It’s essentially useless for my purposes i.e getting a job in industry. </p>
<p>I have no relevant coursework, I was just using that hypothetical to make an argument. I don’t think I’m at all competitive for any finance position, neither are most other mathematics and physics graduates who have no finance background despite what the few on here and school statistics say. The same I believe is true for engineering and computer science.</p>
<p>At this point, I just want to get into an industry that recognizes and appreciates the skills of a competent mathematics/physics graduate. Based on my experience, neither finance, engineering, or computer science fit that description. </p>
<p>Research experience does pay (I’ve been paid for research internships and I know others who have as well), and can be seen as valuable experience if you market it effectively. YMMV but I’ve known several people who did research during undergrad and worked in industry after undergrad without going to grad school or working in academia.</p>
<p>What do you actually want to do? You’ve listed wildly disparate fields, and have said that you have no coursework or experience in any of them. Has the programming or engineering knowledge you have “picked up” substantial? Many jobs aren’t actually limited to only certain majors, if you have the experience (and relevant coursework) to do the job (but if you’re only looking for internships that list physics or math majors, then I’ve found several. I’m sure you’re capable of it as well). But yes, you’re right–finance, engineering, and computer science companies want their employees to have knowledge of and training in finance, engineering, or computer science, respectively. I don’t know why you thought differently. But if you really want to go into one of those fields, then you need to start somewhere and try to figure out a way to get the experience that you need. It might mean looking harder or searching more broadly, it might mean networking or getting connections, it might mean taking something that you’re less than happy with (unpaid, not exactly in the area you want, incorporates some research into the program). You can’t expect someone to hand you an internship in finance if you have no coursework or experience in finance. If you feel like your background in math is sufficient to provide you the skills to go into a different field, then figure out a way to present it in a way that gets you that first job that is at all finance related and build from there.</p>
<p>And even if you don’t think you’re competitive, if you really want it, then apply anyway. Figure out what you’re application is lacking and figure out a way to strengthen it. But first you need an actual direction that you want to go in so you know what experience you need to get.</p>
<p>@Baktrax: Are you sure you’re talking about mathematics/physics students and if you are, not those at top schools? I can easily see how that is the case for those students, but I really can’t see why anyone would pay students here to do lab or computational work (which mostly involves being taught instead of contributing) while most students would do it for free (as did I).</p>
<p>I want to work in any quantitative field that puts the skills I learned in school to good use. At this point, I don’t believe I can afford to focus on simply what I’m interested in when I struggle to get any type of quantitative job in any field as it is. The problem is getting that experience, and to even get past HR you need to have the correct degree on your resume or its filtered out completely by their algorithms. As for finding math and physics internships, more likely you have found that employers were looking for engineers or finance graduates and just listed those requirements for whatever reason. I have specifically contacted employers who have listed physics and mathematics degrees in the required education after engineering and finance, and the vast majority were not interested in hiring a math or physics graduate in the first place. Unless you can find a position that is ONLY looking for mathematics/physics graduates, then there’s really nothing out there. </p>
<p>Also, I agree with you that I shouldn’t expect to get an internship in finance without the relevant coursework and finance degree. But, I want to know why is it finance is always mentioned as an alternative career to engineers and mathematics/physics graduates before anything else? It sounds like a fanciful myth that people in STEM cling on to, especially since there are enough finance majors competing against each other for the jobs as it is. </p>
So what skills are those? If you have no finance/CS experience, of course they won’t hire you to do a job in that field - you aren’t qualified. It’s not about having a degree or not, it’s about the skills you do or don’t have. You say you want a field where your quantitative skills are appreciated, but I don’t really see you describing what those skills are. In general, US companies want you to describe specific skills you have that make you useful to them.</p>
<p>There are plenty of jobs for mathematicians in the finance field - they need advanced quantitative analysis in investment banking, actuary work, etc. They hire mathematicians, engineers, etc. along with finance majors. You definitely have to have a bit of finance knowledge, but that’s just a few classes. A quantitative degree puts you above the crowd of finance majors, by the way, especially if you go to a prestigious school.</p>
<p>I think there’s more going on here than you’re mentioning. Either you have extra constraints as a non-American you have to deal with, or you aren’t very good at making a resume, or you don’t have employable skills.</p>
I have no problem with that, but then why are both of these industries always stated as the number one alternative for math and physics majors? That’s the problem. The vast majority of mathematics and physics graduates do not takes CS or finance courses, and hence, should not be qualified for these jobs in the first place. </p>
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<p>I am not sure what exactly is gained from listing my skills to some anonymous person on the web so I’m not going to go as in-depth as what’s on my resume: mainly basic materials science techniques (thin film fabrication, photonic crystals, semiconductors, etc), scientific instrumentation, basic electronics (op-amps, diodes, transistors, etc), optical/photonics techniques, and modelling these and related systems which allowed me to pick up Matlab, Mathematica, Python, and C++. I can code, but I doubt I am anywhere near as good as the typical computer science major who spent their entire degree programming and learning advanced techniques. Unfortunately, any of the positions in industry that make direct use of the skills I picked up require a PhD. </p>
<p>By the way, the vast majority (~95%) of my classmates have none of these experimental skills and I’d argue the same is true for most mathematics and physics graduates from all other schools. How are then any of these graduates getting jobs in finance and CS at the frequency that is claimed by many stats and certain users around here?</p>
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<p>The vast majority of engineers and mathematicians simply do not have any finance knowledge, so why is this always recommended as a potential industry for such people to go into as if it’s a commonly chosen path? Also, the quantitative training of mathematicians and engineers is worlds apart. Most mathematicians are either specialists of esoteric fields with no real world applications (topology, differential geometry, number theory, etc) while most engineers have will never encounter anything more advanced than ordinary differential equations. I fail to see any meaningful intersection of the skills of mathematicians and engineers other than “they’re good with numbers”, which seems to be the only justification I can find for the finance industry to hire mathematicians and engineers. </p>
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<p>I should clarified earlier. I’m not based in America, but Canada. However, the job market is very similar and I doubt I would be having much better luck in the U.S than I am here. </p>
<p>I agree with @NeoDymium on this, I have had a number of my advisees (physics majors) get internships or jobs in the finance or programming areas. The key is to sell your skills, not your major. Your university career center is in the best position to help you figure this out with an appropriate resume and contacts. Maybe there is a LinkedIn group of alumni from your university who can provide a network too.</p>
<p>And, by the way, I pay my undergraduate research interns as do many of my colleagues in physics.</p>
<p>You can get jobs in programming or finance as a physics major, especially if you go to a school where those types of firms/companies come to recruit. I know plenty of undergrads who have gotten internships or jobs in fields like consulting, programming, data, asset management, venture capital. and investment banking etc.</p>
That’s pretty much it, actually. A useful skill to have though, as it’s much easier to teach a little bit of finance than aptitude for math.</p>
<p>How do you know that none of your classmates have any CS/finance/etc experience? Almost every single mathematics major I know has substantial experience with CS, finance, or some other widely popular field that is partially open to them because of strong quantitative skills. Physics majors have that along with some engineering routes.</p>
<p>Obviously if you want to make use of what your major focuses on you will have to have an advanced degree. Expecting to be able to do this is naive though, to say the least.</p>