You Have More Options Than You Think: Applying Your Physics Degree

As an intern for the American Physical Society Careers Program through the Society of Physics Students Internship Program, I worked on a series of projects to promote the diverse career options that physics majors have. “Physicist” historically implies a research professor at a university, yet only about 5% of all physics bachelor's will end up with that profession. In order for undergraduate physics majors to better understand how they can utilize their physics skill set outside of academia, I interviewed and synthesized profiles of young physics entrepreneurs in order to promote physics innovation and entrepreneurship (PIE), an APS initiative. These “Startup Stories” are featured on the APS website and have led to published articles in both The Vector and APS News. Another project inspired by a push for physics majors to continue their education influenced the development of a flowchart infographic - “Should I Go to Grad School?” - to allow undergraduates to decide if a graduate degree is right for them. I will also highlight the most important thing I learned this summer - networking.