Highly rewarding careers after M.Sc Physics

Introduction

Physics is the science of matter and its motion. Physics ideally deals with study of the concepts such as force, energy, mass and charge. Every object in this universe is governed by the laws of physics. It may be gravitation, acceleration, rotational motion, energy, momentum, astronomy etc, everything works and depends on concepts of physics.

Scope for M.Sc Physics students

The students with master’s degree especially when it comes to M.Sc Physics can have ample job opportunities in various fields. The hiring trends have seen major changes in recent years; especially the last decade has witnessed a lot of changes. The organisations today look more for the students who are good at native and traditional subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics etc. So, there has been a great demand for the students who are qualified in these subjects.

The trend of hiring has changed to a large extent due to the attainment of saturation levels in the areas of IT and computers. The M.Sc Physics students will be having strong fundamentals when compared to other students and is an added advantage for them in today’s hiring scenario. The technology today is not dependent on applied concepts, but it is based more on the fundamental concepts of physics. For instance, the latest buzz words today are Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). These two areas have become extremely popular in recent times and it is predicted that there will be a large number of jobs in these areas. Although, both AI and ML are based on concepts of computer programming languages but this is only to a certain extent. The major working mechanism of AI and ML machines are dependent on the fundamentals of Physics. The professionals from a strong physics background are necessary to tune these machines to perform their tasks efficiently. When we speak about robotics the laws of physics are extremely important and students from physics have more scope to work when it comes to building the robots.

The latest advancements in the field of technology have created more scope and room for the new job roles and responsibilities. There are numerous jobs in the field of physics but here are few jobs that are extremely rewarding and offer the best career paths. They are listed below:

Research Scientist

Roles & Responsibilities

As a research scientist you will be studying about the non-living systems and try to understand the working of the physical world. There are many disciplines where the research scientists will be working, they are:

• Astronomy
• Chemistry
• Geosciences
• Materials science
• Meteorology

Scientific research mainly involves the designing and conducting of numerous experiments to find out the physical evidence of the natural phenomena. The collected information is analysed and processed to develop practical application in creation of new materials and devices.

Key Responsibilities of a Research Scientist

They are required to:

• Plan and conduct experiments to investigate and analyse scientific phenomena
• Operate complex instrumentation
• Extrapolate data to develop theories to explain phenomenon
• Arrange the testing of products or materials to ensure that they meet the quality standards
• Develop new products and new ways of applying new methodologies
• Develop innovative methods to improve existing products
• Collaborate with other scientists for achieving a common goal
• Develop specialist skills and expertise

Sound Engineers

Roles & Responsibilities

The sound engineers combine technical knowledge with creativity and produce high quality sound at live performances, recording studios or recorded events. They are responsible to manipulate the acoustics to achieve the desired result. They may work in different setups but the ultimate goal of the sound engineer is to produce excellent and high-quality sounds. The sound engineers work in different contexts such as:

• Live Concerts
• Auditoriums
• Recording Studios
• Opera Theatres
• Radio Stations
• Advertising Sessions

Sound engineers are responsible to avoid sound distortions, they are required to calibrate the sound equipments and tune them to produce the high-quality sounds. They are necessary to adjust sound frequencies of various instruments and ensure that every instrument is best played to produce the best tune.

Key responsibilities of a Sound Engineer

The sound engineer has to perform varied tasks depending upon the situation. Generally, he/she is expected to carry out certain tasks like:

• Communicate with the performers, directors to understand their artistic vision and tune the music accordingly.
• Design, setup and test audio equipment including microphones and the speaker system with the assistance of the system technician.
• Conduct individual recording of each instrument and vocal in a studio setup.
• Conduct sound checks and monitor the sound in live performances.
• Add sound effects like echo and equalisations during live performances.
• Resolve any audio-related technical problems that arise during the performances.

Technical Author

Roles & Responsibilities

As a technical-author you are responsible to write specialist information about the products and services and how they work. They are required to explain how the things are used in a way that it is easy to understand for the end user. Technical authors work in various disciplines like:

• Aerospace
• Automotive
• Banking and Finance
• Construction
• Defence
• Education
• Engineering
• Manufacturing

As a technical author you are responsible to convert the technical literature to common literature. A technical writer should first understand the technicalities of a service or a product and should be able to articulate the same into the normal language, so that the layman can understand better about the functioning of the product or service.

Key Responsibilities of the Technical Author

They are required to:

• Understand the technicalities of the product or service
• Attend planning and briefing sessions
• Collaborate with developers and managers to clarify the technical issues
• Interview experts and sales and marketing specialists
• Work with translators, printers and service providers
• Organise information according to the user needs

Nuclear Engineer

The nuclear engineers will be designing, building, running or decommissioning of nuclear power stations. They work in multi-disciplinary teams and come up with technical solutions in case of technical problems. They are also required to design new systems, maintenance of existing systems and also looking towards the ways to improve the efficiency of the systems.

They also work in different sectors like:

• Health & Safety
• Instrumentation and control systems
• Processes Engineering
• Quality Assurance
• Reactor Operations

They are ideally responsible to deal with the nuclear materials with extreme precaution and do not create any hazards or disasters. They are responsible to calculate and use the nuclear material in a controlled atmosphere and perform various reactions and results.

Key Responsibilities of the Nuclear Engineer

As a nuclear engineer one is required to:

• Understand the science behind the nuclear facilities
• Analyse energy transmission, conversion and storage systems
• Solve the design and operational problems with reactor cores and shielding hydraulic and electrical systems.
• Always prioritise the safety and security of the people working in the nuclear power plants
• Develop innovative methods to increase the efficiency of the nuclear reactors

Final Note

Although the list is exhaustive, the above are some of the important job roles that really pay good salaries for the M.Sc Physics students. The students of physics are considered as the skilled professionals for their knowledge they have about the fundamentals of physics. The students, who are passionate about the matter and energy and interested to explore more about these concepts, can choose to pursue the masters in physics and get a deeper understanding of the laws that are governed by physics. They can also land in some good- paying lucrative jobs across various organisations and sectors.