Physics studies open up a broad spectrum of potential job opportunities because it tells your employer that you have the supporting knowledge to succeed in the scientific or technical field. 

   Physics graduates with a bachelor’s degree can apply to positions as technical specialists, web developers, research assistants and analysts, lab technicians, programmers, Junior high science teachers, and high school physics teachers, and so on.

   Physics graduates with a Ph.D. degree can apply for positions as engineers, scientists, managers, and researchers in the private sector and higher education. 

If you are interested in education, the following tips will help you get started.

Teaching physics at the high school level

   If your call is teaching at the high school level, then, aside from a major in physics, you will need a bachelor’s degree in a teaching preparation program and apply for the license your school district requires, which initially lasts for three to five years. Depending on the state, you have to complete a master's program or professional development courses as a requirement to get a permanent license. 

Like any other teacher, essential soft skills requirement include:

• Strong communication skills as a speaker as well as a listener. 
• Time management skills for all activities related to school life. That is multitasking. 
• Management skills, being proficient in classroom management techniques from teaching delivery to student behavior.
• Emotional intelligence, to exercise empathy, perceiving, understanding, and controlling emotions.
• Proactive behavior to keep students motivated. 

Research and teaching in higher education

   As reported by the Occupational Outlook Handbook, of the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, for jobs in research as academics, physicists typically need a Ph.D. After obtaining a Ph.D. in physics, they begin in temporary postdoctoral research positions, usually last two to three years. During this time, they continue to learn and gain experience to move up to more complex tasks and have enlarged independence in their work.

   In terms of soft skills, it is central to possess:

• Analytical skills. Thinking using logic is the basis to accurately carry out scientific experiments and free of errors that can invalidate their work.
• Critical-thinking skills. After an exhaustive evaluation of their work, Physicists need to be precise to define results and conclusions based on science. 
• Communication skills. They also need strong communicative skills to communicate with others as well as to write proposals and technical reports to publish, for instance, in journals.
• Interpersonal skills. Physicists do extensive collaborative teamwork in all kinds of contexts.

   Although a significant percentage of graduates end up in the private sector, a portion decides to pursue their careers in higher ed institutions. In this case, the average salary for a physicist in 2019 was $78,800, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

   One positive fact about working in academia is job stability. That is, you will not lose your job so easily. One negative point, though, is that you may have to wait for some time to get a tenure position, no less than seven years, in most cases.

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