Hi! Thanks for your time. Please read all if you can.
I have officially concluded my Junior year of undergrad and I don’t know where to go. I only have a year left before I get into the real world and I need to have plans. First I come from a poor financial background, I feel like I chose the wrong major ( in terms of pay), and my stats are poor:
College of William and Mary
Major: Physics
Minor: Mathematics
Overall GPA: 2.92
Major GPA: 3.13
GRE: This August
Extracurriculars:
Research on: Stochastic Mechanics, Quantum Computing Theory
Co-founded and President of an organization called FGLI (First-Gen-Low-Income) Students at W&M
I want to help my family, but I also don’t want a job that I hate/find boring. I was thinking of applying to grad school for nuclear engineering (I don’t have to play ‘catch-up,’ employment is rising, pay is rising, firms are willing to pay for your tuition) but I heard its really stressful and tedious.
My dream is to use my creativity on technology e.g. building a quantum computer or building the next “mars rover,” but this is the mindset which led me to choose Physics.
Heres my question: What would you do if you were in my shoes?
Writing this makes me feel sad, have self doubt, and a heavy load of pressure. Im not depressed just stressed out of my mind.
You got a lot of good advice about getting into a graduate program from your other threads over the past year.
I can tell you, as a physics professor, that with a degree in physics you should be able to get a good job that is paid well. Most physics majors who don’t go into a graduate program will end up in the software industry. I am pretty sure that you have had a significant amount of programming in your curriculum and if not, you can do that in your final year. I would look for jobs in the financial industry, as a data scientist and then at small startup technology companies.
If you want to go to a graduate program, then look into the IGEN program that I mentioned previously. It is a difficult time and a lot of students are worried about their future. The best thing you can do is to get a really good resume together and work on your interviewing skills, then be persistent in seeking positions.
You can do anything for a few years, even if it is tedious and stressful. I find there is – generally - a strong correlation between high salaries and tedious stressful work: that’s why they pay high salaries – because they have to!
I know nothing of physics so can’t be specifically helpful. But I sucked it up and worked in a big city corporate law firm right out of law school (which I found to be soul crushing work, plus it had killer hours). I did it, knowing I needed to pay off my high student loans, and knowing it would look good on my resume. My next job was much more interesting to me; I got it, though, because I had worked at my first job.
I totally understand wanting interesting fulfilling work, and if you can find it, absolutely take that job! But there is nothing wrong with prioritizing money at least for a few years so you can get on your feet and get on with your life from a solid position.
Thanks for everything. I just realized what I have to do. From reading my posts I assume you know my GPA has been rising, 2.79 to 2.92 obviously not great but with each semester I have improved.
I did take computer sciences courses and so I know my fair share of programming.
The thing is that Ive spent a good amount of time researching what I should study IF I could go to grad school. And every week I find Pros/Cons about the program that Im looking into which leads me back here.
I did/will be looking into the IGEN program from here on out.
(sorry for the following rant)
This past school year I applied to 25 different internships, this includes firms such as: CGI, Perspecta, Lockheed Martin, EY, Booze Allen, YEXT, MTIRE etc. Ive gone to the business career fair, the general career fair, and the tech career fair…nothing came out of it. The only firms willing to give me an interview were CGI, EY, YEXT, and Perspecta…I couldn’t even make it past the first round. And believe me my skill of networking has shot up (which is why I had interviews)
I obviously still have a lot to learn but WOW does it get on my NERVE that I couldn’t land anything so I can my family pay some bills. Like @cinnamon1212 said I just have to suck it up and move along. Money is going to be my first priority and its looking like I should do nuclear engineering while I learn more about programming.
If not I have figure out how to weave my way into the business world. You’ll hear back from me by January 2021 – I wonder where I’ll be…
You may have done this already but just in case, one more bit of advice that I give my advisees who are looking for a job outside physics is not to have your major front and center but instead highlight your skills so that companies can see immediately that you have capabilities they are interested in.