<p>Alright, high school senior here.. I've always held an interest in science, but I am not sure if I want to go into physics. I mean, I hold fascination to all sorts of thing- If I hear a really good concert, I picture myself as a musician; and if I see a really good play, I image myself as an actor. However, I am convinced that something science/math related is what is for me. I mean, I want to discover how the universe operates, but I have no idea of what specific field(s) I would want to go into.. Also, I only really have a vague idea on what I would do on a day-to-day basis. I looked it up, and it says research; but I don't know if that's what I want to do since I've never really experienced research in a professional manner. There aren't exactly any volunteer-related activities where would I shadow a physicist. </p>
<p>Sorry, I know this is vague information.. I guess I am saying that I do not know if I would enjoy myself if I go into physics; but that is rather an invalid question, having myself question you on what I enjoy! :p</p>
<p>Here’s a link to Physics and Astronomy in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. It’ll give you an idea of the variety of jobs held by physicists and what the job market is expected to look like over the next ten years.</p>
<p>Note, however, that there is a surplus of physics majors relative to physics jobs. But the alternative jobs that physics majors often end up in are often well paying ones in finance and computer software (they are recruited for their math skills).</p>
<p>You like science but don’t know which one to pick? Then I suggest Statistics, which allows you to play in the backyard of all sciences (and more), to paraphrase John Tukey.</p>
<p>I started out as a physics major looking to do research.</p>
<p>Then, my uncle, a radiologist, told me about becoming a medical physicist. From what it looks like, Medical Physics seems like job security + good income.</p>
<p>The thing is, while I am pretty sure that I want to major in physics, I do not want to become a teacher… Maybe that’s just because I am biased based on the school I go to; I really could not see myself happy trying to teach students who don’t want to learn. I mean, I’m sure it’s different on a college level- I may help tutor people as an upper class man, or maybe once I’m older, (much older,) I’ll share my knowledge at some university; but I could never see myself making a lifetime career out of it.</p>
<p>So is this not a good thing? Should I still try and go for the major?</p>
<p>It’s probably a bad line of thinking, but I agree 100%. I told myself that if I ever am in a position where my only career in physics is to teach high school, I’m not staying with physics. I have absolutely no interest in teaching at the high school level. </p>
<p>Don’t worry about deciding on your major now. Try a lot of different classes in college, and see what feels right. Many students change their minds several times.</p>
<p>When I did my BS in Physics 10 year ago I was also fascinated on how the universe worked. It was a very interesting journey until I graduated and realized I was at a dead end. I will tell you, you will not find jobs with only a BS in Physics (very very hard to find one). You will have to make a desicion, go for the PHD in Physics to actually be someone in the community or go for a MS in an engineering or math related field like I did. Either way you will have to get a graduate degreee to land a job. Or you can skip all this pain and get yourself a BS in Computer Science or Statistics and land a job a lot easier right away. Then you can do a MS in any related field at your own time (companies pay for it when you work for them) posible at the companies expense and not your own pocket.
Take a word from someone who went through that pain and had the same question when I was in high school.</p>
<p>Pick the one you think your mind can work in better. Are you creative visually or musically? Or are you a logical thinker that can accomplish any problem given enough time?</p>
<p>There are a lot of jobs you can get with a bachelors physics degree, not necessarily in the field of physics. You just have to know how to sell yourself and learn complimentary skills like statistics, programming, electronics, equipment handling, etc.</p>
<p>Would it be a wise idea to major in Engineering Physics? That way, I might have a better time finding a job when I graduate. Plus, if I want to go into a different area of study for grad school, such as an engineering field (like aerospace engineering), I will probably be better suited with an EP degree. The main problem I can see with it, though, is that it is not ABET certified in most schools, which is apparently something almost essential to have.</p>
<p>Another question: Is it possible to switch my major before entering the fall term as a freshman? Because I’m considering doing aerospace engineering now, but I’m not quite sure… I still need to do research on the field. Also, I have all my essays written as though I want to go into physics.</p>
<p>Changing major depends on which school you attend. Look up the new major on the school’s web site and try putting “change major to aerospace engineering” in the search box.</p>
<p>Physics is an excellent preparation for a wide variety of graduate programs, but if you just want to get a BS, it’s not a great degree to get a job with relative to the effort you have to put in to get one (physics is hard). Also, if you want to get a job in academia, note that this is a pretty hard thing to do; there are a lot more physics PhDs than tenure track positions in physics. Physics to almost any engineering grad will probably work (more likely than the other direction).</p>
<p>I don’t know of any schools that wouldn’t let you change majors as a freshman; most people don’t know for sure what they want to do when they apply to college, and tons of people change their mind. Usually, you have until the end of your 4th semester to pick a major, and you still might be able to change it even later than that.</p>
<p>In many state universities in California, some majors are impacted, so a current student who wants to change to or declare such a major needs to apply to the major and have a good GPA (significantly higher than the GPA needed to avoid academic probation).</p>