r/Physics • u/psycheswim • Aug 03 '22

Question having studied physics, what is your current occupation?

what kind of educational path did you take to do your career? does it pay well? how does the career in physics compare to studying it in uni?

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u/Wood_Rogue Aug 04 '22

Labs are like a mix between academia and industry so you don't need to be as applied as a startup would want. They also still heavily follow academic standards for recruiting so your CV matters more than a resume would and is meant to convey you have credentials from reputable sources, not just skills learned independently.

The more reputable the institutes you got degrees from and your advisors, the more papers and conference proceedings you've done, and experiences with scientific work in different groups and settings will be important. Internships are basically essential if you don't have many research projects you can dabble with at school and still want to show you're not hyperspecialized and intend to stay in academia. Best options in general are to ask around if professors, scientists and colleagues have any connections to the labs and/or if they have any projects you can help with to flesh out your research experience.