Why Physics?

Physics is arguably at the center of modern science. It has fascinated the finest minds of every age: Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, Bohr, Schroedinger, Dirac, Feynman... It encompasses the study of the structure and the states of matter, the atom and the nucleus, mechanics, relativity and electromagnetism. Moreover, physics plays a major role in chemistry, biology, astronomy, geology, and in the applied fields of optics, engineering and economics.
Students who become physics majors are selecting a rewarding and vital career. The great burst of activity during the last 30 years has instilled a great excitement in physics, which in turn has stimulated progress in many areas of science and engineering. The invention of the laser, the discovery of high-temperature superconductors, the advances in high-energy physics, are only a few examples of the phenomenal scientific progress that recent times have witnessed.
Physicists are on the cutting edge of this impetuous progress, which takes place in industry, national laboratories and academia. A major contribution is made by students, both graduate and undergraduate.

There are also compelling practical reasons for choosing physics as major.
Owing to their training, physicists excel at solving complex problems; this allows them to seek employment in a surprisingly wide range of academic and industrial settings, well beyond the boundaries of their own discipline. For more information, check out the American Institute of Physics jobs site.

The unemployment rate among physicists has been consistently below the national average, and one of the lowest among science majors. In the U. S., unemployment rate six months after graduation for Physics degree recipients is currently a mere 2%. About half of physics bachelor's degree recipients go on to graduate school, the other half entering the workforce; of these, 70% find employment in industry, earning a median annual salary of $37,000 (see Physics Today, March 2000). Also, physicists rank among the highest-paid mid-career professionals among bachelor-degree holders (NSF data, click here for details), and are the highest paid scientists.

Physics is damned hard work, and not for the faint hearted. It is, however, incredibly rewarding to be the first person to ever see some new physical effect, or to see the eyes of others light up when they understand what you've just taught them about the world.