Got your physics degree… now what?

By Tushna Commissariat

Last year, we launched our first ever Physics World Careers guide, which brought together all of our best content from the careers section of our monthly magazine, together with an extensive directory of employers. This year, we’re back with the bigger Physics World Careers guide 2018, packed with case-studies and analyses, to help you choose the right path for your future – as James McKenzie, vice-president for business at Institute of Physics point out in his foreword for the guide, “As physicists, you will have learnt to be logical, analytical and articulate. These are skills that are highly prized by employers and open up many career paths for you.”

More and more, physics graduates take up jobs outside of academia, in a host of different industries, and the 2018 Physics World Careers guide has a special focus on careers in everything from making designer lasers to accelerator physics, and from developing safe nuclear-waste disposal techniques to building a quantum computer for Google. To help you get these exciting roles, we’ve even compiled articles on “Your pathway to industry” and “How to write a CV for industry”.

Of course, for those of you who foresee a future in academic research, we have you covered with our case studies, as well as advice on how to pick a strong, first research topic or project, and much more. Also take a look at how working in a lab can help you become an excellent educator or even headteacher of a school; or go into the fulfilling field of science communication.

And don’t forget to look at our “Beyond physics” section to learn more about the many exciting things you can do after your physics degree that are outside of the field – from classical dance to data science, meet the physicists who have gone beyond the fold, but still put their hard-earned physics knowledge to good use.

You can read Physics World Careers free via the Physics World app, available for web browsers, iOS and Android.