<p>So I'm currently going for computer science, but I thought about physics. Can you get a decent job with just a B.S. in physics? Oh, and I can't go straight for engineering because they are all limited access degrees in my school and I don't have the prerequisites, so don't go there.</p>
<p>What are your post-graduation goals?</p>
<p>Design new technology of some sort, and go into some type of engineering. I’m not sure what type though.</p>
<p>So, I have heard it is tough for people with just a physics major to get jobs with just a BS. However, I have found that lots of research opportunities I see online tend to have Physics majors asked very often. If you did that, you would probably need to go to grad school.</p>
<p>So you’re trying to use up the last college money you have left (finaid), and you can’t even figure out what you want to do?
Do some research. No one on these boards can give you advice useful to your specific situation as well as the internet. Then figure out what you actually want to do.</p>
<p>Well, yes, you can get a good job with a physics degree, I see it happen all the tim with my advisees. As the others have said, however, you really should look into it more yourself to see if it makes sense for you. Take a look at [The</a> American Institute of Physics – Physics Publications and Resources](<a href=“http://www.aip.org%5DThe”>http://www.aip.org)</p>
<p>I know in chem, BS degree gets you limited opportunities–MS (usually paid for by acting as a TA) gets you good jobs. Is physics similar? Maybe others can answer.</p>
<p>From what I have seen, Physics guys all fight for jobs at the National Research Labs which require AT LEAST a Masters in Physics. So if you plan on going to graduate school, a BS in physics will definitely help. A BS in physics alone will have you lose all the job opportunities to the engineers. </p>
<p>“Without engineering, physics is just a philosophy.”</p>
<p>@NeoDymium</p>
<p>I’ve done the research. However, I’m not really sure that I trust the bls.gov nor do I trust my advisers. It seems that they will tell you anything that you want to hear to keep you in school. That’s why I posted this topic on this board. The people here seem pretty knowledgeable.</p>
<p>
The BLS attempts to predict something that can’t be predicted, and advisors are there to help only those that have no idea what they are doing. You’re right not to trust them.
But let me ask you quite bluntly: do you know what you are doing, or are you just stumbling through important decisions with so much on the line? A few thousand dollars is not a negligible sum of money, and 2-4 years of time is also far from negligible.</p>
<p>A good advisor won’t “tell you anything you want to hear to keep you in school”. What they will do is to give you their best opinion. That opinion might be colored by the fact that most university professors have not worked outside academia.</p>
<p>All that being said, if you have decided that you are not particularly interested in computer science, then you should definitely change. The CS background plus physics is an excellent combination which can make you attractive to the software industry. The physics degree can open some doors to more engineering oriented jobs and you can certainly go from physics to a masters in engineering without too much remedial coursework.</p>
<p>A BS in physics is excellent preparation for graduate study in Physics. It’s not as much of a terminal degree as a BS degree in CS or engineering would be.</p>