Got my BS in Physics but I don't know what to apply for

[Zap]

You need coding experience to go into data analytics. My one semester of Python and comp physics isn't enough. I'm trying to get myself started on projects and volunteering to help post docs and other students with their coding projects, but without much coding experience, I don't know if I'll be of any help or if I'll be able to learn enough. I still think focusing on coding is a good idea, but I don't know if I can learn as much as I need in order to actually land a job related to it. It's worth a try, though.

You can easily give yourself a data project. I chose scraping this site and doing analysis on it: https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/dr_executed_offenders.html

We can analyze their age, race, location and whatever along with their actual statements. So far I haven't been able to develop a web crawler to scrape the data to begin the analysis.

Your adviser was good to steer you away from the PhD. I heard nothing but take the GRE and apply to a PhD program during my senior year. Graduate school is hard for a lot of reasons. I will not go into it, but an MS in a professional program might be worth it.

I'm also looking into teaching English overseas. The programs don't seem very hard to get into. They don't pay very much, but imoving far away and having an experience abroad also sounds nice. You may end up teaching in the rural or poor areas, though.

You could also apply to be an officer in the military. They make pretty good money. It might be something worth looking into. Officer programs tend to be selective, though. You could enlist as an E4, instead, but it's like a 10 grand difference in base pay.

It's tough for a lot of people when they graduate. I know a mechanical engineer who spent 7 months looking for work before he found his first professional job. That's pretty insane. My roommate, who also has an engineering degree, took about a year to find his first job. It happens, but we can't give up. You took calculus and differential equations. You stayed up to 5:00 am and somehow woke up at 6:00 to take a test that destroyed three quarters of biology student's dreams of going to medical school, and you got an A. That was me, but whatever. School wasn't easy. You didn't give up then. You can't give up now.

 

[Zap]

You don't have to go to China to teach English. You can go to South Korea, Japan, the Netherlands and other places. I'm not sure why China is so popular, but you can go to many other places. My sister taught English in Vietnam. According to her, life is better outside of the US. I don't think I'll ever see her again.

 

[StatGuy2000]

It's tough for a lot of people when they graduate. I know a mechanical engineer who spent 7 months looking for work before he found his first professional job. That's pretty insane. My roommate, who also has an engineering degree, took about a year to find his first job. It happens, but we can't give up. You took calculus and differential equations. You stayed up to 5:00 am and somehow woke up at 6:00 to take a test that destroyed three quarters of biology student's dreams of going to medical school, and you got an A. That was me, but whatever. School wasn't easy. You didn't give up then. You can't give up now.

I find it incredibly difficult to believe that your roommate took a year to find his first job. Did your roommate not have any work experience? All of the engineering graduates in my alma mater (University of Toronto) all had jobs available to them upon graduation (either in Canada or in the US, where many Canadian graduates head to). And this wasn't restricted to just my alma mater -- graduates of other engineering schools in my home province were able to find employment either immediately upon graduation or at most a month after graduation.

Did your roommate not have any work or internship experience? It's very common for engineering students to have completed at least 1 (and often multiple) internships while studying, and many engineering schools have co-op programs to offer students work experience. Some engineering schools require all their students to complete co-op.

 

[gleem]

According to US News and World Report the unemployment rate for mechanical engineers is 1.6%. By most measures this is outstanding. It seems that we react to anecdotal information more negatively than data would suggest. If 9 or even 8 grads out of 10 find a job in ME that would seem to me that the odds are pretty good if you finish with a good GPA and follow the recommend norms for preparing for a job like internships or coops.or just looking intelligently into what is happening in the field and customizing your curriculum to best meet the qualifications for you chosen interest.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says that there are about 291,000 MEs and that employment is expected to increase 9% per year into 2026. Since about 26,000 MEs graduate each year it would seem that their should be no lack of opportunities for most well prepared new grads.

 

[Zap]

I find it incredibly difficult to believe that your roommate took a year to find his first job. Did your roommate not have any work experience? All of the engineering graduates in my alma mater (University of Toronto) all had jobs available to them upon graduation (either in Canada or in the US, where many Canadian graduates head to). And this wasn't restricted to just my alma mater -- graduates of other engineering schools in my home province were able to find employment either immediately upon graduation or at most a month after graduation.

Did your roommate not have any work or internship experience? It's very common for engineering students to have completed at least 1 (and often multiple) internships while studying, and many engineering schools have co-op programs to offer students work experience. Some engineering schools require all their students to complete co-op.

There are a lot of factors. My roommate was a full time server at a restaurant and only had a little engineering experience he got from volunteering one summer. His GPA was not that great, either. It was a 3.0. He also got an engineering technology degree instead of a mechanical engineering degree. The dude just wanted to do autoCAD design, anyway, which he did a lot of in his free time. He still was able to find a job in Dallas, though, which is way better than what I found during that same year. I don't base my experiences off of statistics I find on the web.

As far as the other dude, he did get a mechanical engineering degree, and he told me it took him 7 months to find a job. I don't know much about him. I brought this up to help OP out with his feelings of inadequacy. Even people with degrees that are high in demand can have trouble finding work after they graduate. Of course, I also know engineers who were hired months before they graduated for like 80 grand a year at Raytheon, which is probably more money than I'll ever see in my life, but I didn't bring that up, because that doesn't help our comrade over here.

 

[Vanadium 50]

My roommate, who also has an engineering degree, took about a year to find his first job.

He also got an engineering technology degree instead of a mechanical engineering degree.

That's why. "Engineering technology" degrees are different from "engineering" degrees.

 

[Zap]

Yes, but it's still a professional degree, and it has engineering in the title, and everyone loves engineering. But, the point is, he found a job in exactly what he wanted to do. It just took him awhile.

He was actually flown to Texas for an interview at Lockheed Martin at one point, though, which is insane. That was shortly after he graduated. So, people at Lockheed Martin were interested enough in his engineering technology degree to spend hundreds of dollars to fly him out for an interview, despite not hiring him. That's still pretty amazing. I think he made like a hundred dollars off of it, because they gave him money for all the expenses. How crazy is that? It's amazing to me that a company would spend hundreds of dollars just to interview someone. That degree, restaurant experience and 3.0 GPA must have impressed someone over there.

 

[Dr Transport]

He was actually flown to Texas for an interview at Lockheed Martin at one point, though, which is insane. That was shortly after he graduated. So, people at Lockheed Martin were interested enough in his engineering technology degree to spend hundreds of dollars to fly him out for an interview, despite not hiring him. That's still pretty amazing. I think he made like a hundred dollars off of it, because they gave him money for all the expenses. How crazy is that? It's amazing to me that a company would spend hundreds of dollars just to interview someone. That degree, restaurant experience and 3.0 GPA must have impressed someone over there.

Not out of the ordinary in industry, I flew back and forth to Fort Worth to interview with Lockheed-Martin 3 times before getting an offer, but I am a senior hire, not a fresh, ink still wet on my diploma individual.

 

[gleem]

He looked good on paper. Where many people fail is in the interview. When you look to fill a position you have to talk to the individual to see if you expectations and the candidates are aligned as well as assess the candidate's probability of fitting into the corporate culture and checkout if what he claims in his resume is what you had supposed. LM is a $80 B company spending a few hundred dollars to assure you have a winner is real small potatoes What makes the difference between those hire and those not ? It could be not answering a technical question to the satisfaction of the interviewer or even unpolished shoes.

 

[Dr Transport]

He looked good on paper. Where many people fail is in the interview. When you look to fill a position you have to talk to the individual to see if you expectations and the candidates are aligned as well as assess the candidate's probability of fitting into the corporate culture and checkout if what he claims in his resume is what you had supposed. LM is a $80 B company spending a few hundred dollars to assure you have a winner is real small potatoes What makes the difference between those hire and those not ? It could be not answering a technical question to the satisfaction of the interviewer or even unpolished shoes.

True, your manager hires you, but the group you are going to work for/with also talks to you and if they don't want you, management won't over rule them. Now it is all about fitting into the culture and working well with your co-workers.

 

[russ_watters]

Yes, but it's still a professional degree, and it has engineering in the title...

Actually, it probably isn't. "Engineering" is the modifier here: "technology" is the degree. As opposed to "electrical engineering", where "electrical" is the type of engineering. Most such degrees are not ABET accredited. They are not engineering degrees.

I sure hope your friend didn't think that because it has "engineering" in the title, it is an engineering degree. That's an expensive mistake and not one employers will make.

 

[grandpa2390]

There are a lot of factors. My roommate was a full time server at a restaurant and only had a little engineering experience he got from volunteering one summer. His GPA was not that great, either. It was a 3.0. He also got an engineering technology degree instead of a mechanical engineering degree. The dude just wanted to do autoCAD design, anyway, which he did a lot of in his free time. He still was able to find a job in Dallas, though, which is way better than what I found during that same year. I don't base my experiences off of statistics I find on the web.

As far as the other dude, he did get a mechanical engineering degree, and he told me it took him 7 months to find a job. I don't know much about him. I brought this up to help OP out with his feelings of inadequacy. Even people with degrees that are high in demand can have trouble finding work after they graduate. Of course, I also know engineers who were hired months before they graduated for like 80 grand a year at Raytheon, which is probably more money than I'll ever see in my life, but I didn't bring that up, because that doesn't help our comrade over here.

You're right. I've only been out of school for a month and haven't applied to much because of "feelings of inadequacy" and I was expecting to have started teaching high school math by now, but the school that I want (and wants me) couldn't find a spot for me as quickly as hoped.
I need to start applying for jobs, I'm probably more adequate than I think, especially once I figure out how to program.

I got a text from Revature offering an interview. I'm still trying to figure out what they do, but it appears to be a company that will apparently train me to program before putting me to work. That sounds great; I'm just a bit nervous about some of the things I've read. Some people say you have to sign a 2 year contract with a $19k penalty if you quit before the end of your contract. I understand completely why they would want you to sign a contract that penalizes you for quitting, but 2 years is a long time for $19k when I'm not sure what I'll be doing after training or if I'll be forced to move someplace and pay rent when I already have a place... I think they hire you out to other companies, and that sounds great as long as I'm working for at least a bit more than minimum wage and can stay in New Orleans (or make enough to justify leaving New Orleans, I can't take anymore debt).

I'm going to give them a call back tomorrow and see what I can learn from them.

I'm also curious about this listing I saw online. https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=14d1a3de3ce676df&tk=1d2tpksata452802&from=vjnewtab
This looks like something I'm qualified to do. I'm just afraid to apply because, again, I'm still trying to figure out what they do there (beyond "handle payments" for construction companies). For a lot of these jobs, sometimes it's not so much whether or not I am qualified. It's about I have no clue what the day-to-day work is, so I don't know if it is something I can do, and I'm afraid I'm going to put myself in a situation where I will be either miserable or get fired.

Maybe I could do engineering work. I don't know because it is difficult for me to find what typical engineers actually do day-to-day. Some, or many, engineers design things... but then I talk to engineers who make it sound like they do pretty much nothing (what does that mean?), and during my internship at Air Products, the young engineer didn't really do anything. I believe the one thing he did was, the water from the cooling tower was being ejected into the pond reservoir at too high of a pressure. Something like that, it's been awhile. So he had to design something to reduce the pressure coming out of the tower. and he did this by putting a cap on the end of the flow pipe that had holes drilled into it that he had calculated would create the desired pressure drop.
I mean, I could do that without problem. between my Physics education, and the practical education I received from my Industrial Technology (PTEC) degree. I even still have my fluids textbook "Flow of Fluids" by Crane. Which is like a reference book for engineers (contains experimental data rather than just theory) and spells out pretty much everything you need to know about the flow of fluids. (at least from a practical, "I've already learned the theory, now I just need a reference book to remind me how to do calculations and what the pressure drop a 90 creates" perspective)

I don't know. I haven't been applying enough or long enough to start complaining yet about how long it's taking me to find work. None of these listings (except the fortune 500 companies) seem to even care about GPA, I'm just disqualifying myself from a lot of posts because of uncertainty, fear of the unknown, and I guess, possibly, a fear of failure.

 

[grandpa2390]

in the job listing https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=14d1a3de3ce676df&tk=1d2tpksata452802&from=vjnewtab
they have

** Only applications with the domain “www.realquest.com" added in the “Website, blog, or portfolio:” field of the job application will be considered

Why is the company requiring that domain be added to the job application? What is the purpose?

Maybe it is just a test to see if you can follow simple instructions?

 

[Zap]

Sounds like you have more applicable skills than you give yourself credit for.

 

[grandpa2390]

Sounds like you have more applicable skills than you give yourself credit for.

I don't know. His project was easy. But then I think about the projects engineers must be doing in larger industries. The engineers designing electronics, transportation, etc. I wouldn't know where to begin. I'm sure there is something in those projects I am capable of doing. But I don't know. I feel like there is probably not enough I'd be capable of to justify my existence. lol.

 

[Dr Transport]

I don't know. His project was easy. But then I think about the projects engineers must be doing in larger industries. The engineers designing electronics, transportation, etc. I wouldn't know where to begin. I'm sure there is something in those projects I am capable of doing. But I don't know. I feel like there is probably not enough I'd be capable of to justify my existence. lol.

Realize, that in industry, you are not the only one working on a major project like that, but one of a team. There is no way a company is going to let a new hire with minimal experience do an entire design project.

 

[Zap]

Having a physics degree shows you are capable of doing a lot of things. You just need to get your foot through the door, so to speak. A recruiter once told me that it really doesn't matter what degree or experience you have. Everyone we hire has no idea what they are doing. We have to train them. Most recruiters don't have that attitude, but if you look around, most people coming out with a Bachelor's degree aren't really qualified to do anything in particular, even with a magical engineering degree, unless they were lucky enough to get into an internship that provided them with professional experience in exactly the position they are applying for.

Half of university is just relearning what you were suppose to learn in High School by forcing you to take English, History, Psychology, Remedial Math, General Studies and etcetera. Then you actually take one or two classes in areas you could potentially specialize in, and that's it. Fifty grand down the toilet. Here's your 30 dollar piece of paper. Congratulations. That is the case no matter what degree you get. It just happens to be, for some reason, that the economy prefers those with engineering degrees. Some engineers might try to blow a bunch of smoke up your arse about why their degree makes them more qualified for jobs, but it's crap. It's not your fault that this is the way the economy is. You're still a capable person who can bring value to the world.

 

[gleem]

Have you checked out Zlien's website? They a file mechanics liens on property for craftsmen who where not paid after the job was finished.

 

[Zap]

Actually what I just described might be unique to physics, but even if you majored in electrical engineering, you would take just a few classes in computer engineering, a few classes in circuits, a few classes in signal processing, a few classes in semiconductor stuff and then probably your choice of a few extra random classes in the department.

But, whatever. You shouldn't need a PhD and 8 years of experience just to enter the workforce.

 

[grandpa2390]

Have you checked out Zlien's website? They a file mechanics liens on property for craftsmen who where not paid after the job was finished.

Is that what they do? What exactly does that mean? I thought they handled payments for construction companies (craftsmen I guess).

I got on the other day to apply. I finally said, "let's do it. I tried other jobs before that didn't work out, what's one more?" and the post had closed... :( I'm going to keep my eyes on them. They look like a friendly bunch.@Zap I tell you, if there is one thing my resume proves, its that I am a jack of all trades type of person. I've done a variety of things now.

I'm going through python lessons on Codecademy. I think that's going pretty well. I mean already pretty much know how to do most of this so far because I took introduction to C++ in college, and java in high school. and, as everyone says, its pretty much same once you learn one. So I'm going through the lessons waiting for the scarier stuff to come that I've never learned before. the kind of stuff that takes you from making text based apps to apps with GUIs. I would love to be able to make apps. I get so frustrated when I'm on the app store looking for an app to do something that I want that doesn't exist.

and I find an app that does something similar, and I start conversing with its creator trying to convince him to add all the features that an app of its kind needs. Would be nice to be able to just make it myself.

 

[Zap]

I also took a break from the job hunt to try and learn more coding.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I would think it would be more valuable to continue the job search in parallel. I would also think that any difficulties one has in finding a job would only be enhanced by "taking a break" from looking.

 

[Zap]

I disagree. I am planning on rewriting my resume entirely based on what I am doing in the next few months. It will be completely different than it is now. I've applied to enough jobs to know that the experience and skillset I had previously wasn't cutting it. I think it will be a waste of time to continue sending it out without making these necessary alterations. I can try to anticipate what my resume might look like in the near future, but I think the best alterations will come from making progress and completing projects in these new skills, adding them, and then sending it out. Someone I am volunteering to work for said I could learn how to create a neural network from scratch in just a month. My goals aren't that high, but I've pretty much changed my major (although still graduating in physics), doing completely different research and believe that things are going to change in a short amount of time. I don't know if it will change as much as it needs to, but things will definitely change.

 

[Zap]

I would think it would be more valuable to continue the job search in parallel. I would also think that any difficulties one has in finding a job would only be enhanced by "taking a break" from looking.

It will just be for at most a month.

 

[grandpa2390]

I disagree. I am planning on rewriting my resume entirely based on what I am doing in the next few months. It will be completely different than it is now. I've applied to enough jobs to know that the experience and skillset I had previously wasn't cutting it. I think it will be a waste of time to continue sending it out without making these necessary alterations. I can try to anticipate what my resume might look like in the near future, but I think the best alterations will come from making progress and completing projects in these new skills, adding them, and then sending it out. Someone I am volunteering to work for said I could learn how to create a neural network from scratch in just a month. My goals aren't that high, but I've pretty much changed my major (although still graduating in physics), doing completely different research and believe that things are going to change in a short amount of time. I don't know if it will change as much as it needs to, but things will definitely change.

that's pretty much where I am. I am still checking the job boards in case something unexpected gets posted. and my application is still on file with the local schoolboard in case they find a position for me. but otherwise, I need to learn how to code and make applications. :)
well back to lessons.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

that's pretty much where I am. I am still checking the job boards in case something unexpected gets posted. and my application is still on file with the local schoolboard in case they find a position for me. but otherwise, I need to learn how to code and make applications. :)
well back to lessons.

Press the flesh with local principals.

 

[grandpa2390]

Press the flesh with local principals.

what do you mean?

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Resume on file means little. Principals make the hiring decisions. Meet them. Sell yourself to them.

 

[grandpa2390]

Resume on file means little. Principals make the hiring decisions. Meet them. Sell yourself to them.

Like I said, I already have, they just need to find an opening for me. They thought they were going to have something for me in January, but it didn't work out. There's a lot that goes on. so unless something happens, like a teacher has a baby or something, I'll probably start in August. I'm not certified, so they have to bend the rules for me in order for me to start before August.

I'm already working at these schools and know the staff since I am a substitute. And I've "pressed the flesh" of the two guys that make the hiring decisions, one is the principal, and the other works at the schoolboard. The gentleman at the schoolboard is important because he runs the alternative certification program. He is the one that has the power to make it legal for the principal to hire me. He also manages the applications.

I don't think they're just dragging me along. Based on the man's reputation, it doesn't seem likely that he would tell me he has something for me, and tell me to keep in touch if he didn't want to hire me. but if they decide to go with someone else. oh well, since it seems I am one of a very few people able to pass that praxis for high school math... their loss. I'll just find something else.

 

[Zap]

Was anyone here actually hired as a programmer or data analyst with a physics degree who did not have years of programming and software development experience?

Teaching seems like a cool job, but from what I hear, the younger children can be a handful. But, hell, you got like three months of vacation per year. You probably ain't going to get that doing anything else. Imagine having summer vacations with no work lol. What would you do? And they still make a descent salary. To me, 40k is pretty good. My friend started at 40k where I am, and the cost of living here is very cheap. You can make 60 to 80 in other areas. He says it's hard work, but I don't believe him. I think the difficulty in the job is trying to manage a classroom of kids and having to grade papers. If you get that teachers certificate, I don't think you'll be out of a job for very long.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

Was anyone here actually hired as a programmer or data analyst with a physics degree who did not have years of programming and software development experience?

I was offered a programming job right out of school, but I declined it. All my prior programming experience was on projects while in school. The main reason they offered me the job was I performed well on the programming "test" they administered during the interview (it was in C). A year later, I was hired as a test engineer at a wireless communication company. I accepted this job, which was about 50% programming.

Teaching seems like a cool job, but from what I hear, the younger children can be a handful. But, hell, you got like three months of vacation per year. You probably ain't going to get that doing anything else. Imagine having summer vacations with no work lol. What would you do? And they still make a descent salary. To me, 40k is pretty good. My friend started at 40k where I am, and the cost of living here is very cheap. You can make 60 to 80 in other areas. He says it's hard work, but I don't believe him. I think the difficulty in the job is trying to manage a classroom of kids and having to grade papers. If you get that teachers certificate, I don't think you'll be out of a job for very long.

Classroom management can be a challenge in many places. The book, "The First Days of School" by Harry K Wong was very valuable to me when I started my first high school teaching job. His most important points are 1) Student learning results from their efforts, not from the teacher's. 2) Use your first days to build good classroom habits so students spend most of their time in class making efforts that will result in learning.

Grading is not that big of a deal. But you need to give some consideration and design your approach for a manageable load. A teacher simply cannot give 100 students the same level of individual grading attention that he can give 20. The trick is designing a system of daily accountability for students to do their work without creating an unmanageable workload for yourself.

My favorite approach for high school math, physics, and chemistry was to have students set each day's homework on a table when they came in. As they spent 5-10 minutes working a "bell work" assignment on the board, I would quickly peruse their homework but giving credit in the grade book for the appearance of an "honest effort" rather than detailed correctness. Thus an honest effort on each day's homework could earn all the homework points in the class. After the 5-10 minutes, students would retrieve their homework and we'd discuss the bell work problem and I'd field questions from the home work.

Lots of teachers have now gone to online homework systems which are graded automatically. It is very time efficient, but for me, it is more important to teach and enforce good habits of pencil and paper solutions. The way most students interact with online math/physics/chemistry homework does does not enforce good pencil and paper problem solving habits, which I view as essential to learning and growing in problem solving. When I have used online systems, I have an additional step of checking notebooks and require that each problem be worked carefully and completely. But this greatly increases the labor of accountability. (I did it when homeschooling my own sons, both physics majors now, but it is too much labor for a class of 20 students.)

 

[Locrian]

Was anyone here actually hired as a programmer or data analyst with a physics degree who did not have years of programming and software development experience?

I was hired as an actuarial analyst with basically no real programming experience. This is the case for most actuarial hires, though they do need more familiarity with excel than is typical.

He says it's hard work, but I don't believe him.

Over the last decade I can think of eight people I've worked with who moved from grade school teaching to actuarial or data science work. From that small sample (and some relatives who are teachers) I gather it is generally tougher teaching lower grades than high school. As a side note, all eight were thrilled to have escaped.

IMO $40k is painfully low salary. However, the benefits teachers get historically were extremely good. Be careful; due to ballooning pension and other benefit costs, many government jobs are quietly cutting benefits for new hires. You might not be getting as good a deal as your peers without even realizing it.

 

[Dr. Courtney]

IMO $40k is painfully low salary.

It's not bad for New Orleans area, and it's a lot better than the other jobs the OP has a realistic chance at until the programming skills are improved. I've known lots of teachers complain about the salary, but you need to realize it's for about a 190 day work year; whereas, most "real" jobs are closer to a 250 day work year. There's a lot more time in a teacher's year for side jobs and to improve one's job skills for moving toward more lucrative fields. I've always had a side business when I've been a teacher.

 

[Zap]

40k isn't bad where I am, especially starting off with no professional experience.

It's interesting to hear you were offered an analyst job with no programming experience and don't have a PhD. I know of one person who was offered a job as a statistician with no programming experience, but he had a PhD. This is great news.

 

[Zap]

Teachers make bank. You peoples are crazy.

Imagine this. I move to California with a sleeping bag anf a backpack somewhere warm and close to the beach. I start some entry level bs job for 40 or 50k a year, but spend nothing on housing or food, sleeping on the beach and begging for food. I’ll pay off my loans in one year and retire after ten.