<p>So physics is basically the major ive wanted to do since 8th grade, but after a bit of research regarding job opportunities, I am a little discouraged. What I've learned is that it is very difficult to get any job after undergrad and a slim chance you will after grad school. I also learned that most jobs come out of getting your PhD, but I am afraid I might not be able to last those extra years without a sustainable job. Would this still be the case at a top school? Should I double major in something else or just major in an entirely different subject?</p>
<p>Many physics majors do end up working in something else like finance or computers (where their math skills tend to allow them to adapt more easily than some other majors with limited major-specific job prospects).</p>
<p>If setting up a safety net for such backup job options is important to you as a physics major, consider taking relevant courses as electives. CS knowledge will likely be useful anyway in physics work.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus Would a double major be better than just electives? Do you know how difficult it would be to double major Physics and perhaps Computer Science w/o really any prior CS knowledge? Or would a different 2nd major be better (engineering)? Thanks.</p>
<p>I would not advise a double major in CS and Physics. Whilst it would be easier at the lower divisional level (many math, and sciences courses parallel quite well), both majors are known to take a lot of hours from students, studying, coding, etc… and at the upper divisional level you might not have the time to do well for both majors. The case is same for most stem majors. </p>
<p>For grad school, if you are a good student you could find fellowships to pay all your schooling expenses plus give you a stipend. It won’t be too much, but everything payed for and some spending money? That’s not too bad of a deal to learn. </p>
<p>Whilst its true, many physics majors don’t get jobs as physicists, its incorrect to say physic grads aren’t employed. Physics trains your critical thinking in ways many majors can’t so they are valuable. You can be an actuary, accountant, programmer, engineering etc… </p>
<p>But you should ask yourself this question. Do you want to be a physicist or do you want to work with physics? The difference is do you want to research physics and understand the universe on a new level or do you want to work with what’s already here? If the answer is the latter, you may want to try your hand at engineering. Mechanical and Electrical to be specific. Those are very physics heavy disciplines. </p>
<p>@ninjex The former for me. Would the fellowship process for grad school be easier if I went to a top tier school for physics? </p>
<p>Job prospects aren’t bad for all physics majors. There are applied fields of physics that actually have quite good job prospects but they usually require at least a masters. Three that come to mind are geophysics, medical physics, and accelerator physics. I am a senior physics major who is planning on getting a Ph.D. in seismology (but I hope to stay in academia).</p>
<p><a href=“How Hard Is It to Find a Job in Geophysics? - Career Trend”>http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/hard-job-geophysics-35702.html</a>
A plug for geophysics since that is what I’m doing :)</p>
<p>Health Physics (as opposed to Medical Physics) is also very good for getting jobs. As for your question about getting into graduate school, there might be a small advantage in coming from a more selective university but the physics curriculum is more or less the same everywhere and if you have a strong GPA and GRE scores with significant research experience, you can have a chance at selective graduate programs.</p>
<p>However, one issue with selecting a school to study physics is that it is not that popular a major, so some smaller schools have small physics departments that may not offer all of the usual physics major courses at adequate frequency. Check course catalogs and schedules.</p>
<p>Indeed. A selective school is good, but it’s not required in the same sense a humanity of liberal arts need very good schools. You should go to a good school with a strong physics program, but it doesn’t have to be an ivy league or anything. That’s not to say don’t go to an ivy if its full ride; however like xraymancs stated, undergraduate coursework is similar across the board (assuming the school has its appropriate accreditation), so its wise to choose the less expensive option. Research as an undergrad will help you get a good fellowship and get a job. </p>
<p>PhD programs in physics all provide a stipend and waive tuition. The top schools most likely offer the highest stipends. For example, Harvard offers ~$33,000, Cornell ~$26,000, Illinois $22,000. This highest most likely is Stanford (Palo Alto is very expensive) at $37,000. If you are deemed to be one of the top applicants, schools may also provide you with extra money in the form of an internal fellowship. Examples are the Nambu fellowship at Chicago (almost a postdoc’s salary), the Stanford fellowship, the James Mills Peirce Fellowship at Harvard, and signing bonuses at CU Boulder. You can also apply for external fellowships like NDSEG, NSF, and Hertz.</p>