Correct, there aren’t that many jobs with the title of “physicist.” It’s very employable however, if one is willing to branch out into applied fields like engineering. I.e I don’t think there are many impoverished physicists (by education) at least in the west. It’s the path I took at least.

Education always has a tension between abstract advancement of knowledge (academia) and application. In the capitalist countries, the latter will always win out. I don’t think it is a bad choice to learn about something that both interests you and sets you up for employment, even if your employment won’t directly fall within that area.

[–] LaughingLion@hexbear.net 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

sorry, i miquoted the statistic. not highest unemployement rate in their field. also second highest unemployment rate overall for recent graduates. physicists having trouble getting jobs, period.

[–] quarrk@hexbear.net 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I’m assuming US job market. I googled around and found this that seems to be where that statistic comes from

Frankly I still don’t believe it or consider it alarming. Even at face value, if it’s a difference of 6% and 8% unemployment, it is not that meaningful. It’s still 92% vs 94% employment. Once employed, a physicist can expect a good or great salary. Lifetime earnings are great even if it can be hard for some people to find a job straight out of college. Everyone in my program is gainfully employed, usually not as an academic, but in software development, engineering, finance, or education. It’s far from a “do not recommend” field even if the latest CNN fad is to doom and gloom about the fall of STEM (usually simultaneously hyping AI as the replacement, which is rubbish)

Consider the rise of LLMs. Because it is a novel field, there are not many people with an education tailored it. Physicists are generalists. That makes them desired for industries in uncharted territory where a strong analytical and theoretical mindset is more important than a particular certification or knowledge of a computer program.

[–] LaughingLion@hexbear.net 1 points 2 days ago

this number changes yearly. physicist is often the worst employed.

and when talking about large populations and unemployment the difference between 6% and 8% is MASSIVE

also anthropology being #1 is no surprise i actually know someone with a masters in it. went to a specialized school abroad and everything. she is a librarian now. completely respectable field and she enjoys it. but it is not in her field whatsoever