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Career Exploration

Physicists

Also called: Health Physicist, Physicist, Research Scientist, Scientist

What they do:

Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.

On the job, you would:
  • Perform complex calculations as part of the analysis and evaluation of data, using computers.
  • Analyze data from research conducted to detect and measure physical phenomena.
  • Describe and express observations and conclusions in mathematical terms.
On the job, you'll need:

Math and Science

  • physics
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Engineering and Technology

  • product and service development
  • computers and electronics

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Basic Skills

  • using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems
  • reading work related information

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it

Math

  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide

Verbal

  • read and understand what is written
  • communicate by speaking

Ideas and Logic

  • come up with lots of ideas
  • create new and original ideas

Visual Understanding

  • quickly know what you are looking at

Investigative

People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.

  • Innovation
  • Achievement/Effort
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Initiative
  • Attention to Detail
  • Integrity

Analytical or scientific software

  • The MathWorks MATLAB
  • Wolfram Research Mathematica

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Development environment software

  • Eclipse IDE
  • Microsoft Azure software

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Bright.

New job opportunities are very likely in the future. This career will grow rapidly in the next few years.

Median Annual Salary: $142,850

Education

Doctoral degree or post-doctoral training is usually needed.