6 answers
Aditi
Student
Rehan, HP
2
Questions
Updated
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Options after a master's in physics?
Hi, I'm a sophomore at high school and love physics. But I'm very confused over the career options. I know I wanna study physics but what afterwards?
I recently asked another question here only and one option I was suggested by many was a data scientist but what does a person with a Physics degree has to do with data? And if I consider that a option how do I get that?
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6 answers
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1092
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Aditi,
You said you are interested in Theoretical Physics, and that's great. But you have several years of university ahead of you. Maybe you'll end up a professor and researcher in Theoretical Physics and never look back (or sideways). But maybe you'll discover other interesting topics while you are in school. Maybe a career in academia and research doesn't look appealing any more at some point. Maybe you'll want a higher-paying job in business. It's good to have a plan, but many people find that they want to pivot or have to pivot at some point in their careers.
A degree in Physics gives you all kinds of skills that require math and problem solving. Data Science is one of the non-academic options you have when you study physics. It's good to have a variety of options, tracks and exit points available when you are starting out.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
You said you are interested in Theoretical Physics, and that's great. But you have several years of university ahead of you. Maybe you'll end up a professor and researcher in Theoretical Physics and never look back (or sideways). But maybe you'll discover other interesting topics while you are in school. Maybe a career in academia and research doesn't look appealing any more at some point. Maybe you'll want a higher-paying job in business. It's good to have a plan, but many people find that they want to pivot or have to pivot at some point in their careers.
A degree in Physics gives you all kinds of skills that require math and problem solving. Data Science is one of the non-academic options you have when you study physics. It's good to have a variety of options, tracks and exit points available when you are starting out.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Wong Loke Yuen
Head of Programme cum Senior Lecturer
645
Answers
Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Updated
Wong’s Answer
Hi Aditi. It’s great that you enjoy physics and are thinking about your future! After doing a master’s degree in physics, there are many different paths you can take. Some people continue their studies and do a PhD if they want to become researchers or professors. Others get jobs in industries like space, energy, electronics, or engineering. Physics teaches skills that are useful in many areas.
You mentioned hearing about data science as a career option. That’s a good suggestion! At first, it might sound odd, why would a physics student become a data scientist? But actually, it makes a lot of sense. Physics students learn how to solve problems, work with numbers, and use computers. These are the same skills data scientists use.
Data scientists look at large amounts of information (data) and try to find patterns or answers. For example, a company might want to know why their sales are going down. A data scientist would look at all the sales data and try to figure it out. To do this, they need to know coding (like Python), math, and statistics, all things physics students can learn.
If you want to become a data scientist in the future, you can start by learning to code and practicing with data. There are many free online courses for this. During or after your master’s degree, you can also try internships or short training programs (called bootcamps) in data science.
In the end, physics can lead to many exciting jobs, not just in science, but also in business and tech. Keep following what you love, stay curious, and try learning some new skills along the way. All the best!
You mentioned hearing about data science as a career option. That’s a good suggestion! At first, it might sound odd, why would a physics student become a data scientist? But actually, it makes a lot of sense. Physics students learn how to solve problems, work with numbers, and use computers. These are the same skills data scientists use.
Data scientists look at large amounts of information (data) and try to find patterns or answers. For example, a company might want to know why their sales are going down. A data scientist would look at all the sales data and try to figure it out. To do this, they need to know coding (like Python), math, and statistics, all things physics students can learn.
If you want to become a data scientist in the future, you can start by learning to code and practicing with data. There are many free online courses for this. During or after your master’s degree, you can also try internships or short training programs (called bootcamps) in data science.
In the end, physics can lead to many exciting jobs, not just in science, but also in business and tech. Keep following what you love, stay curious, and try learning some new skills along the way. All the best!
Kristen Jaccodine
High School School Counselor (Guidance Counselor)
18
Answers
Sussex, New Jersey
Updated
Kristen’s Answer
Hi Aditi,
With a degree in Physics, there are various careers that you can pursue. If you wish to continue using physics, you can conduct research, teach (at the high school, college, or university level), become an engineer, or work with computers. What you can consider is - what is it about physics that you enjoy? Do you like the theories behind it and have an interest in learning more? Or, do you want to use a degree in physics to become an engineer, a data analyst, someone who designs and builds computers, or become a doctor?
There are many different paths that you can follow. It is good that you are thinking about this now. Aside from physics, what else do you like? Do you like to build things? Do you like computers? Are you interested in understanding how and why things work the way that they do? When you start thinking of your other interests that connect with physics and the direction you may follow.
I hope this helps!
Take Good Care.
With a degree in Physics, there are various careers that you can pursue. If you wish to continue using physics, you can conduct research, teach (at the high school, college, or university level), become an engineer, or work with computers. What you can consider is - what is it about physics that you enjoy? Do you like the theories behind it and have an interest in learning more? Or, do you want to use a degree in physics to become an engineer, a data analyst, someone who designs and builds computers, or become a doctor?
There are many different paths that you can follow. It is good that you are thinking about this now. Aside from physics, what else do you like? Do you like to build things? Do you like computers? Are you interested in understanding how and why things work the way that they do? When you start thinking of your other interests that connect with physics and the direction you may follow.
I hope this helps!
Take Good Care.
Cliff Schreier
54
Answers
Rochester, Minnesota
Updated
Cliff’s Answer
Aditi,
It's great to hear that you are asking these questions. I would say these are some things you can think about and explore:
- Talk to your guidance counselor about options and jobs for Physics majors
- Think about what things you like to do related to physics. Is it computer programming? Is it conducting experiments? Whatever it is, write down some options you might like.
- Talk to your family and friends about people with technical degrees who do some of what you thought about above. You see: Physics is a degree that you can use to open a number of different doors. Try to shadow some of the people you identified. If you don't know any, ask your guidance counselor. Scour the web for possibilities. I have a physics major on my team who specializes in Cloud, Continuous Integration, and Front End programming - he is amazing. He's told me that Physics people think 'outside the box'. He really doesn't use a lot of his Physics education, but he really likes what he does today.
Once you do the above things, you can come up with an action plan for yourself that will impact the rest of your life... so take it seriously.
The decisions you make in the next 5-10 years will set you up for a long time. I hope your life is an amazing journey and only you can decide on the path.
I wish you the best of luck!
It's great to hear that you are asking these questions. I would say these are some things you can think about and explore:
- Talk to your guidance counselor about options and jobs for Physics majors
- Think about what things you like to do related to physics. Is it computer programming? Is it conducting experiments? Whatever it is, write down some options you might like.
- Talk to your family and friends about people with technical degrees who do some of what you thought about above. You see: Physics is a degree that you can use to open a number of different doors. Try to shadow some of the people you identified. If you don't know any, ask your guidance counselor. Scour the web for possibilities. I have a physics major on my team who specializes in Cloud, Continuous Integration, and Front End programming - he is amazing. He's told me that Physics people think 'outside the box'. He really doesn't use a lot of his Physics education, but he really likes what he does today.
Once you do the above things, you can come up with an action plan for yourself that will impact the rest of your life... so take it seriously.
The decisions you make in the next 5-10 years will set you up for a long time. I hope your life is an amazing journey and only you can decide on the path.
I wish you the best of luck!
Chinyere Okafor
Educationist and Counseling Psychologist
1207
Answers
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Updated
Chinyere’s Answer
Hello Aditi,
As a sophomore in high school, it's good that you're already planning the future and exploring your options in physics. You will succeed if you have this kind of curiosity! One degree that can open more doors than most people know is physics. You can become more than just a researcher or professor if you get a master's degree in physics or even just a bachelor's degree.
The ability to solve complicated issues, recognize trends, work with big data sets, and think critically are all skills that are essential in today's society, particularly in tech-heavy professions like data science. Physics gives you these abilities. That’s why many physics grads shift into data roles: because they’re already trained to model systems, write code, and evaluate data trends—skills that companies in healthcare, finance, climate research, and even sports analytics find highly valuable.
If data science sparks your interest, here’s how you could start preparing:
- Learn programming early - Python is especially useful in both physics and data science.
- Get comfortable with statistics - it's essential for data analysis and machine learning.
- Take on small projects - in high school or college, you can find online datasets and try analyzing them, or even join competitions on sites like Kaggle.
- Explore internships or mentorships during college that let you apply physics in real-world settings—this will help you see which direction you enjoy most.
Additionally, it's okay if you don't have everything worked out at this time. You can pursue careers in research, engineering, finance, space science, climate modeling, quantum computing, and yes, data science, by studying physics. Imagine your degree in physics as a broad passport that opens up a wide range of interesting career options. The most important thing is to maintain your curiosity while gaining new experiences.
You've already started down the correct path. Don't stop!
Best wishes!
As a sophomore in high school, it's good that you're already planning the future and exploring your options in physics. You will succeed if you have this kind of curiosity! One degree that can open more doors than most people know is physics. You can become more than just a researcher or professor if you get a master's degree in physics or even just a bachelor's degree.
The ability to solve complicated issues, recognize trends, work with big data sets, and think critically are all skills that are essential in today's society, particularly in tech-heavy professions like data science. Physics gives you these abilities. That’s why many physics grads shift into data roles: because they’re already trained to model systems, write code, and evaluate data trends—skills that companies in healthcare, finance, climate research, and even sports analytics find highly valuable.
If data science sparks your interest, here’s how you could start preparing:
- Learn programming early - Python is especially useful in both physics and data science.
- Get comfortable with statistics - it's essential for data analysis and machine learning.
- Take on small projects - in high school or college, you can find online datasets and try analyzing them, or even join competitions on sites like Kaggle.
- Explore internships or mentorships during college that let you apply physics in real-world settings—this will help you see which direction you enjoy most.
Additionally, it's okay if you don't have everything worked out at this time. You can pursue careers in research, engineering, finance, space science, climate modeling, quantum computing, and yes, data science, by studying physics. Imagine your degree in physics as a broad passport that opens up a wide range of interesting career options. The most important thing is to maintain your curiosity while gaining new experiences.
You've already started down the correct path. Don't stop!
Best wishes!
Jason McNeill, PhD
Engineer - Renewable Energy
1
Answer
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Jason’s Answer
I have a Bachelor's in Physics and a PhD in Engineering. Physics is an amazing subject, rich in history and full of fascinating ideas. It teaches you to think clearly and deeply. When I first took a graduate engineering class, I found it surprisingly easy because Physics trains you to question and understand from the basics, while Engineering often uses ready-made formulas for specific tasks.
Despite this, I love engineering because I enjoy working on projects that make a difference and collaborating with others to ensure everything fits together perfectly. My advice is to study Physics first, then move into Electrical Engineering. People in this field are in high demand and always find job opportunities.
Despite this, I love engineering because I enjoy working on projects that make a difference and collaborating with others to ensure everything fits together perfectly. My advice is to study Physics first, then move into Electrical Engineering. People in this field are in high demand and always find job opportunities.