Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#1

Post by dasmithii » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 2:49 PM UTC

A friend of mine recently graduated with a degree in physics. After finishing school, he realized that he was not interested in academia and did not want to go to graduate school.

He is interested in getting into engineering (SW or mech, most likely), or perhaps data analysis/science. He has some but not tons of programming experience. Decent amount of stats experience.

I'm wondering if anyone here has navigated a similar situation and/or has ideas for possible paths forward.

Re: Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#2

Post by robthebrew » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 2:56 PM UTC

They should choose something that actually interests them! If they don't have the skills, get an MBA, or take a lowever paid job. Then excel. I have a friend who did a PhD in absolute flatness: how pointless is that? But highly relevant to astronomical mirrors and telescopes.

Re: Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#3

Post by shoto_io » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 3:24 PM UTC

You can do anything with a physics degree. That's what they told us at Uni at least...

PS: I went into product management / consulting after my Physics PhD.

Re: Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#4

Post by kognate » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 3:25 PM UTC

Try one of the big consulting firms. They will only care about the degree and your friend can learn a lot of stuff, make a little money, and use that time to figure out where in the industry they really want to go. The job will probably suck, but they'll learn a lot.

Re: Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#5

Post by cvampal » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 3:30 PM UTC

shoto_io wrote: post #3

You can do anything with a physics degree. That's what they told us at Uni at least... PS: I went into product management / consulting after my Physics PhD.

> You can do anything with a physics degree. That's what they told us at Uni at least...

I became nihilist after physics degree.

Re: Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#6

Post by shoto_io » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 3:53 PM UTC

cvampal wrote: post #5

shoto_io wrote: post #3

You can do anything with a physics degree. That's what they told us at Uni at least... PS: I went into product management / consulting after my Physics PhD.

> You can do anything with a physics degree. That's what they told us at Uni at least... I became nihilist after physics degree.

There you go! You just need to believe in yourself and things will happen magically.

Re: Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#7

Post by AnimalMuppet » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 3:58 PM UTC

I went into embedded systems.

Re: Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#8

Post by otras » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 7:18 PM UTC

What do you call a physicist a few years after they get their degree?

A data scientist!

I got my undergrad degree in physics and transitioned into tech after hitting a similar wall after graduation. I went for the regular software route (started with frontend via FreeCodeCamp and went from there), and in my experience it’s common to see physics students in tech, especially in data science where the statistics background can be really helpful.

For me, it was about building up the programming experience and exposure to get the first tech job, and it has been much simpler after that. I’d recommend looking at startups in particular, as they tend to have a lower barrier of entry (as opposed to the large tech companies). I’d also recommend taking traditional CS classes in addition to any job-focused learning, but that can always wait until after the first paychecks are coming in.

Re: Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#9

Post by forgotmysn » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 7:30 PM UTC

i know a lot of people that work in quantitative finance with physics degrees

Re: Ask HN: What to Do with a Physics Degree?

#10

Post by MeinBlutIstBlau » Mon, Jul 19, 2021, 7:35 PM UTC

otras wrote: post #8

What do you call a physicist a few years after they get their degree? A data scientist! I got my undergrad degree in physics and transitioned into tech after hitting a similar wall after graduation. I went for the regular software route (started with frontend via FreeCodeCamp and went from there), and in my experience it’s common to see physics students in tech, especially in data science where the statistics backgro…

I am an intern currently and there is another one where I work who is double majoring in Physics and CS. He wants to do acadameia but is using CS as leverage in case he needs to transition to a data analyst role.