AIP’s Statistical Research Center has just published its findings from the first systematic study of physicists in the private sector—including what they do, whether they are pleased with their career options, and how well they are compensated. The principal report, “Common Careers of Physicists in the Private Sector,” examines eight broad career types of mid-career physicists. Each type has a dedicated chapter that highlights the skills and intellectual and interpersonal knowledge that physicists working in that career tend to use the most. Moreover, the report is organized as a tool to help graduate students figure out what they can do with their degree.
Two companion reports list verbatim responses to questions about the most rewarding aspects of their jobs, as well as their duties and responsibilities.
AIP completely funded the study, but making it happen was a community effort. Unlike studies of students, recent graduates, or academic professionals, where the target participants are easily reached, tracking down the right people to participate in this study was arduous. We went back to our own 10–15-year-old contact lists of those who took part in the (then) new PhD reports and worked with Member Societies (APS, OSA, and AAPT) to run the lists through their current membership data. SRC also reached out to departments for alumni information and to the graduates themselves, who were asked to help us find their colleagues. This painstaking process took nearly two years, but because of the tremendous community support, more than 500 mid-career physics PhDs in the private sector took part in the study.
What we found is that 85% of this cohort works in a STEM field, and the jobs that they do are remarkably diverse. As a group they are very pleased with the intellectual challenge of their jobs, also noting that they tend to work with diverse and interesting people. Most respondents report that a physics PhD was a reasonable background for the jobs that they currently have, as most required frequent use of various scientific and technical knowledge. They also tend to bring in higher salaries than their peers in academia—over 75% of the respondents are earning more than $100,000 per year. The median age of participants was 43.
One of the intended audiences for this report is physics graduate students (currently about 15,000 physics graduate students in the United States) who are thinking about what they want to do with their degree. In addition, the study will benefit undergraduates who are looking at long-term career options. It should help students understand career options available to PhD physicists and perhaps match their own interests and abilities to a particular type of career. The information is also essential for faculty members as they advise students of the range of career possibilities for PhD physicists.
Forthcoming reports will describe mid-career physicists’ careers in academe, government research labs, the medical and health fields, and not‐for‐profit research institutes.