Physics Job Prospects

Employment opportunities for physics graduates / physicists are available in almost all the fields. For these basic Science Specialists, the employment prospects are really remarkable, not only in developing Economies like India, but all over the world, in the following mentioned fieds.

Job Prospects In Telecommunications

In the present era of telecommunications revolution, Optoelectronics, microwaves and radio communication are all extremely important technologies, and both equipment producers and service suppliers are actively recruiting. Some of the prominent international employers of physics graduates in these areas include:

Lucent Technologies
Motorola
Eircom
Sumicem Opto-Electronics

Apart from these major players, there are many technological Companies have the regular practice of recruiting the Physics Personnel.

Job Opportunity as Materials Science

For physicists one of the most important employment opportunities exist with materials related companies / organizations / research Institutes all over the world. Physics people can work on electronic materials for one of the leading integrated-circuit manufacturers, semiconductor providers or electronics companies. Alternatively, work can be found with electronic equipment producers such as Analog Devices and Intel, or with contract research organisations like the National Microelectronics Research Centre.

Job Prospects In Energy & Environment

The energy sector is a promising sector for the Physicists that in exploration and production there is always openings for geophysicists to work on seismic surveys, and to carry out physical analyses of oil fields and wells. Other significant areas of study include the processing and distribution of oil, as well as applications such as lubrication.

Several oil companies, including BP Amoco, Esso and Shell, recruit science graduates to research posts and other opportunities. Increasingly, these companies are seeking new innovations for sustainable energy and are utilizing the skills of physicists.
Physicists are employed by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland to advise Government and implement policy regarding radiation safety and to monitor radiation levels in the marine environment around our shores, as well as radon levels in our homes.

Job Prospects In Medical Physics

The contribution of physics continues to have an increasing impact on medicine. The major hospitals in the country employ medical physicists to introduce, calibrate, maintain and use highly sophisticated equipments such as MRI, PET, Linacs etc for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of diseases.

The provision of radiotherapy services for cancer is currently undergoing a major national expansion and physicists are greatly in demand.
The manufacturers of medical equipment also provide employment opportunities for physics graduates / postgraduates in design, development, and occasionally marketing and customer services.

Job Prospects In Meteorology, Astronomy & Space Science

Astronomy will never be a major area of employment, but some physicists, usually those with a PhD, do find work in this area within university departments at home or in research organisations, such as the European Space Agency, ISRO, NASA etc. Those interested in careers in meteorology can find employment with the Met. Office.

Teaching Job in Physics

Teaching is an important and most promising field of employment for qualified physics graduates are in short supply in the teaching profession. This is a rewarding job if you like communicating your science at many different levels, enjoy being centre-stage, and can cope with plenty of administration. Employers include state schools, private schools, international schools and colleges of further education.

Job Prospects In Business & Marketing

Opportunities also abound to make a career as a patent agent, a technical writer in technical sales and marketing and a host of other jobs where a broad scientific education is essential.

Job Prospects In Defence

The Defence too is offering many job opportunities for the Physicists in the technical as well as logistics cadres.

Job Prospects In Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is a promising and emerging field which always looks for the personnel with physics background. This field promises jobs and research positions of various specialized people in the subject area of Physics.

Job Prospects In Information Technology

Physicists are well-known for their logical thought, analytical minds and problem-solving skills, which together with their mathematical and experimental talents make them exceedingly employable over a wide range of jobs.

Outside science, the area presenting the most vacancies for physicists is Information Technology. Physicists make excellent computer programmers and anyone with a good degree in physics will already have learnt some of the skills now in constant demand e.g. C, C++, Visual Basic, Java, as part of their practical training. Employers include consulting companies, software houses, engineering companies and IT departments of large firms. Electronics companies, in particular, employ software engineers, who work closely with electronics engineers on the design of circuits and the development of embedded software. Other jobs now available in the IT sector include Web-site developer, Web-site manager and network manager. There are also roles in customer services and help desks, in multimedia, electronic commerce and virtual reality, as well as in artificial intelligence. Major companies such as Sun Microsystems employ physics graduates in IT roles.

Job Prospects In Finance

It is a fact that the Finance Industry opens lots of employments for Physics graduates / postgraduates around the world every year. Increasing numbers of physicists, especially those with a Doctoral degree find jobs as investment bankers and financial analysts, where their roles include research and forecasting. These physicists, sometimes known as rocket scientists, play key roles in areas that require their ability to analyze extremely complex problems, such as modeling interest rates, or evaluating the risk associated with complex financial deals, such as derivatives. Many nationalized / private / multi-national banks in India are the major employers to appoint physics personnel as far as the Finance industries are concerned.

Many renowned Chartered accountancy firms frequently recruit trainees who have qualifications in physics. Insurance companies and retail banks are also major recruiters in the field.