Will you have a BA with a major in physics, but not sure what the possibilities are? Looking for a research assistant or lab tech job? Want some time away from academia before graduate school, but still want to work in a physics related field?

The good news is that you are qualified for many jobs in physics fields with a Bachelor's degree. However, these positions are not frequently advertised in newspaper want-ads or other more traditional avenues. So where do you look? Professional societies, university job postings, national laboratories, industry, and other job posting sites are all promising avenues to explore.

Not really sure where to start or just want more information on careers in physics? Compiled here are some ideas on where to start.

Professional Societies

Professional societies offer the opportunity to network with professionals in your field. Many have their own web pages with job postings. In addition to posting jobs, professional societies' web pages give information for undergraduates on how to prepare for a career in physics-related fields. Below are some examples; however this is far from a comprehensive list. Ask your professors which societies they belong to for more ideas.

By becoming a student member of a professional society, you gain all the benefits of membership at a much reduced student price (around $15-$20 compared to the $40-$60 regular membership). These benefits include reduced registration costs for attending and presenting at annual society meetings, reduced journal subscription costs, and newsletter subscriptions. Student members gain access to society job listings as well

American Astronomical Society

A Guide to Careers in Astronomy
This document has a plethora of information on careers in astronomy and astrophysics.

Summer Opportunities
Research and other summer experiences for undergraduates.

AAS Job Listings site
Links to listings in traditional and non-traditional physics fields for many education levels.

American Institute of Physics

AIP Career Services
Career resources and job listings for physicists. The jobs listings allow you to search within four categories: Industry, Academic, Bachelor's, Government/Other.

American Physical Society

APS Careers in Physics
Job listings for all education levels as well as summer work for undergraduates. Many links to other physics-related job banks.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Career and Employment Resources
Links to job and internship postings, career information and planning resources, and scholarship information.

University Job Postings
If you are interested in a Laboratory Technician or Research Assistant position, the job postings of the university or college you want to work for are the most promising places to look, though professional societies and industry will advertise these positions as well.

Once you've decided where you might like to work, visit that university's website and look for the Job Opportunities or Employment Opportunities page. If it is not immediately obvious on the university's main page, often the quickest way to locate it is by accessing the site index. In addition to checking the job listings, it is a good idea to research the professors working at the institution and to contact them directly (telephone, email, letter) about working with them.

Below are a few examples of job listing sites from universities. Though you may not want to work specifically at one of the listed schools, you can access them to compare job responsibilities and pay scales. While there are a number of Lab Tech and Research Assistant positions advertised, note that these are not the only types of jobs available to graduates at universities.

Iowa State University
Professional and scientific jobs

The University of Iowa
Professional and scientific jobs

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Look under Professional/Non Faculty and Technical/Paraprofessional

The University of California, Berkeley
Note that this is a link to the new listings, scroll down to find older, but still open, postings.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The University of Chicago

National Laboratories
Lawrence Livermore National Lab
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a world-renowned research and development center. The mission of the Laboratory is to serve as a national resource of scientific, technical, and engineering capability with a special focus on global security, global ecology and bioscience. LLNL is operated by the University of California under a contract with the US Department of Energy.

Los Alamos National Lab
Los Alamos lab, located with the town of Los Alamos approximately 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, occupies 43 square miles of land in Northern New Mexico. Owned by the Department of Energy, Los Alamos has been managed by the University of California since 1943, when the Laboratory was born as part of the Manhattan Project to create the first atomic weapons during World War II. National security remains the central part of Los Alamos' mission, but our scientific expertise is very broad and ranges from innovative biological research to modeling global climate, and from novel methods for examining material properties to helping explore the outer reaches of the solar system. We also boast what is arguably the greatest concentration of scientific computing power on the planet.

Oak Ridge National Lab
ORNL is a multi program science and technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation. Scientists and engineers at ORNL conduct basic and applied research and development to create scientific knowledge and technological solutions that strengthen the nation's leadership in key areas of science; increase the availability of clean, abundant energy; restore and protect the environment; and contribute to national security.

Sandia National Lab
Sandia National Laboratories is a multi program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the U.S. Department of Energy. Sandia is one of the country's premier research and engineering facilities, employing about 7,500 people at major facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Livermore, California. Test sites are located in Nevada and Hawaii.

Brookhaven National Lab
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research facility located on Long Island, New York, on a 5,300-acre campus just north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway. (maps) BNL has been around since 1947, doing world-class scientific research in physics, medicine, biology, chemistry, environmental science. . . and more!

Industry
Industry offers not only research and technical positions, but opportunities in sales and marketing as well.

PhysLink Companies listing
A huge listing of High-Tech companies' websites. By visiting each company you're interested in, you can learn about the company and check their job listings online.

Other Job Postings
PhysLink
The ulitmate physics resource. Lists career information, links to professional societies and industry, Job posting, news, and other fun stuff for physicists!

Nature
Nature Magazine's searchable database for all types of science jobs around the world for all education levels.

Science
Science Magazine's searchable database for all types of science jobs for all education levels.

What else do physicists do?

Want more information about what kinds of jobs are out there for physicists? Here are some good places to start gaining more information.

Talk to your professors -- after all they have careers in physics!

Talk to alumni who work in physical fields. It may be especially helpful to talk to alumni who do not have careers in academia. They can give you an idea of what physicists do outside of academics. A Career Counselor in the CDO can help put you in touch with alumni.

Talk to a Career Counselor. They can help you focus your career and job searching goals as well as give you ideas on where to look and who to talk to about the type of job you want.

The CDO library has numerous resources to help you explore careers in physics. Check out the sections in the library marked "Careers in Science," and/or "Careersin Health Professions." They contain resources such as Nontraditional Careers in Science, Job Opportunities in Health and Science, Alternative Careers in Science.

In addition to print resources, you may want to investigate professional societies' web pages or these other web-resources:

The Sloan Foundations's Career Cornerstone
Explore this site to learn more about the wide range of careers available for those with a degree in physics. Physicists, from those with bachelors degree to PhDs, do many things beyond research and they make competitve salaries at the same time. This web site will educate you on the career benefits of physics and advise you on how to follow up on your own interests.

National Academy of Science Publication -- Careers in Science and Engineering

Tips About Graduate School
Thinking about graduate school? This web page can help you decide whether or not to go, help you decide where to go, and how to apply.

American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC)
General information on medical school admissions, a link to the American Medical College Application Service, and help registering for the Medical College Admisions Test (MCAT