Physicists

Employers

Approximately 21,100 physicists work in the United States, most of them in industry, in research and development laboratories, and in teaching. Other employers include the federal government, mostly in the Department of Defense. Other government physicists work in the Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and Commerce and for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Colleges and universities also employ physicists, who must perform research and publish their findings, in addition to teaching.

Starting Out

Many industries send personnel interviewers to college campuses with physics programs to seek out and talk to students who are about to receive degrees. Students should also attend industry, career, and science fairs to find out about job openings and interview opportunities. Associations such as the American Physical Society (https://www.aps.org/careers) and the American Institute of Physics (https://jobs.physicstoday.org) offer job listings on their Web sites.

Teaching jobs in universities are often obtained either through the contacts of the student's own faculty members in the degree program or through the career services office of the university.

Jobs with government agencies require individuals to first pass a civil service examination. For more information on federal employment, check out the USA Jobs Web site (https://www.usajobs.gov), though many of these jobs are usually posted on Web sites such as Indeed.com and LinkedIn.com.