Hi guys. Next year I will start studying physics at university. So far my choice was only based on my personnal preference, but now I am wondering, how much does a physicist earn with a master for example?
I think working in an industry is much more cost effective than researching, but let's face it, computational programmation wins hands down in terms of industrial possibilities, unless Veeky Forums knows something about it that I don't...
Please tell me I could still earn more than average money :)
You'll earn as much as a person in a field earns. Degrees don't get you money, they get you an entrance pass to certain fields and it just so happens that some fields are wealthier than others.
It is for PhDs so I would chop down at least 30% of the figures. For example, it says PhDs in government earn 100k, make it 70k for your typical BSc and MSc holder.
On the other hand, see this for an even more general view:
It says that a Physics MSc earn 67k dollars a year, which is just 3k short of my prediction using the previous statistics. Know that it is the average and just like there are physicists in industry earning hundreds, there are physicists teaching in community college earning shit.
> computational programmation
It is programming and I don't think it is necessary to say computational programming. I think it is well understood programming involves computers. Also, you are right about industry being best unless you are an absolute genius. The best of the best have been able to 'tame' the university beast like our friend Terence Tao who earns more than 500 thousand dollars a year for his salary, now add to that the millions from his book and other duties. But for every Terence Tao, there are two thousand academics earning the same as a fucking Mc Donald's cashier, so my tip for you is to get the fuck away of academia the moment you get that paper.
Charles Johnson
Thanks for the answer. It looks like the average physicist is not a Terence Tao as you say, pretty unfortunate. 67k is very low imo, getting to the 100k would be the nicest minimum, but maybe there's too much luck involved in it. Looks like petroleum makes up the head of the list. With good reason though, I wonder if it would be a wise choice to study more about energy and foresee the collapse of petroleum for the benefit of electrical cars for example and develop wiser energy methods. Just a random thought out there, I am simply not prepared to teach to autistic students and earn shit money, noooooooo plz Veeky Forums :/
Nicholas King
>67k is very low imo You should note that the statistics say that 67k is at the start of your career. The mid career stats say 100k so maybe if you work hard and shit.
That said, if you want to be a physicist physicist then you will have to teach autistic students, there is no way around that because the only way professors make money for their company (universities) is by teaching, publishing papers is just a prestige contest you have between other professors so that when budget cuts come you are not the one fired.
Caleb Jackson
>67K is very low imo
your opinion is idiotic.
Levi Lopez
I have an associates degree, i made $70k last year working 3 days a week. $67k for a 5 day a week job is low user.
Wyatt Williams
May I ask your degree and job title?
Chase Gray
Associate degree in 'Rich parents' and I work as the CEO's assitants for a stock trading company.
Samuel Wood
>publishing papers is just a prestige contest you have between other professors so that when budget cuts come you are not the one fired.
not him but a physicist about the graduate from an MSc. Do you know what things are like for working in PhD granting labs which don't have teaching arms (i.e. not universities) for example CERN or DESY or something like that?
Nathaniel Brooks
lol that is not me obviously I have a degree in electromechanical technology. Im basically a glorified industrial electrician. I work weekends only (friday saturday sunday), 12 hour shifts. With all double time and overtime included i make $37.50 per hour of work.
