<p>I'm currently a high school Junior and for a couple years my passion has been Physics. My current interests include Particle Physics (If I work in this field, I'd really like to do stuff with either Dark Matter or Neutrino Physics, but maybe Accelerator Physics in other fields would be more viable), Cosmology (My eventual goal. Particle Physics would maybe be a stepping stone as my largest passion is the quest for the Grand Unified Theory), and other areas of Theoretical Physics. However, I'm starting to gain an increased interest in Mathematics, but I don't really know what I would do as a Mathematician except that I probably don't want to become an Accountant. I will probably end up choosing Physics as a major, but would Math better suit me as a major, minor, or should I even consider a minor in Computer Science?</p>
<p>Next year I'll be in AP Physics 1 and AP Calculus AB. I'm actually kind of disappointed that AP Physics B is no longer offered, and that my school won't be offering AP Physics 2 or AP Physics C as I'm already in the regular senior Physics 2 course as a prerequisite to AP Physics.</p>
<p>If I go on to grad school, would a PhD in Physics give me good guidance to go into the field of my choice, but with maybe more competition, and would a PhD in Mathematics give me more options but maybe less guidance into what I want to do, or am I wrong about that?</p>
<p>Thank you for any advice on these thoughts and inquiries.</p>
<p>Both math and physics majors sometimes find jobs in finance or computers. Taking some computer science courses would certainly help both in support of either major, and as preparation for backup options of jobs.</p>
<p>In answer to the question, neither have better job prospects than the other. Generally speaking, one should prepare themselves to retrain in a different career after they finished either a BS or PhD in mathematics or physics. These are not fields that will make you employable, and have very little connection with industry (especially theoretical physics and pure mathematics). Be warned, you can easily find yourself finishing a PhD and having no career prospects at all at age 30. In fact, that is the typical profile of the average particle physics PhD, especially those working on physics beyond the standard model (GUTs as you and the popular media call them). </p>
<p>At the BSc level, the degrees are worthless as far as a job is concerned unless you go to an Ivy League school and use the pedigree to leverage into a job in finance, but you could do that with an art history degree from such schools. The only job the degrees actually train you for are to be graduate students, and nothing else. Of course, that’s how it should be as they are academic degrees after all. The reality is, if you want a real shot at working in a scientific/technical position, you are better suited majoring in engineering and taking all of your electives in mathematics or physics. That’s how bad the situation actually is.</p>
<p>Hope that puts things into perspective. I know “theoretical physics” sounds like such an impressive field to a high schooler, but the vast majority of employers think “unemployable” when they hear the term “theoretical physics”. </p>
<p>Well, the first thing to understand is that no one gets a B.S. in theoretical physics. That kind of specialization is for a Ph.D. The second is that one can get a job with a physics (and Math) B.S. but it won’t be doing physics or math explicitly. You will have to sell your skills not your major.</p>
<p>Once you are in a B.S. program you can figure out if a Ph.D. is the path for you. You might change your ideas after the first few years of college. Getting a Ph.D. should be about your desire to do research and a passion for the field. Most Ph.D.s in physics will end up in industry and they do quite well in various fields. My last 2 Ph.D. students are now working for high-tech companies in R&D. Another just got a tenure track position at a 4 year school.</p>
<p>Yes, I already knew that most students take a General Physics Major for their BS (EM, QM, CM, etc.), and that a PhD is where one specializes in a field that they will probably pursue for the rest of their career if they choose to stay in Physics research.</p>
<p>Most of my desire to end up with either a PhD in Math or Physics is just because of interest, but I just thought that job prospects might be a concern down the road.</p>
<p>One thing I have been reading is a thread on Physics Forums called So You Want to be a Physicist? I haven’t really gotten to any parts about how easy it is to get a job in Physics, so I just decided to ask here to see what CC users may know.</p>
<p>I actually have read that same thread on that forum. The people there are really knowledgeable about their stuff and passionate about physics but of course you have to be realistic. If you want to work in academia, my undersatnding is the job market is very limited in such areas but industry is more accepting. I really doubt you will be unemployed or working at mcDonalds as a physics PhD, you definitely will have a respectable job somewhere, likely in industry, if you pursue that path. Good luck .</p>