Expert: Daniel Mazur - 2/23/2007

Question
Hi Daniel.  I am a senior in high school and I've always been interested in physics, especially on the mathematical and theoretical side.  I've read many of those general physics "concept books" (like Fabric of the Cosmos) but they always leave me unsatisfied.  I am an excellent calculus and physics student, and I honestly want to pursue a career in theoretical physics.  I don't think I'll have any problems with the courses.  My question is, what kind of careers am I looking at in the future?  Will I inevitably be a professor tied to a university (not that I have a problem with that, just curious)?  Are there research institutes that employ theoretical physicists?  How tough is the field to really get into?  Thanks,
Andy

Answer
Hello Andy,

I apologize for not getting to your question sooner. It is great to hear about your interest in physics. I think it best to answer you question in reverse order, here goes.

The physics field is considered one of the toughest. It is on the level of medicine, with respect to the amount of knowledge and concepts one needs to master - the only thing I consider tougher in medicine is the level of immediate responsibility, when dealing with health of other humans. The theoretical physics branch is extremely challenging. It is not significantly tougher than other physics to get a degree in, but it is MUCH more challenging to start and build a career in it.

There are several employment options for a fresh doctor of Theoretical Physics. One is at universities and, yes, research institutes and national labs around the country and the world do employ theoreticians. There is one more option I know of, that a theoretical physicist has a good chance to get hired by financial institutions, stock traders, banks or insurance companies. This is because the financial markets are frequently modelled using equations originally derived for physical systems, and because theoreticians are supposed to be very skilled with statistical methods.

I cannot speak much about the last option, I just expect you get paid very well in such a job. When you stay in research as a theoretical physicist, however, you shall be paid like the rest of us (experimentalists, computer modelling specialists). Not bad, but you start on much lower salary than in a bank, naturally. Now, Alex Abrikosov, a Russian theoretician and Nobel Prize winner says that theorists must be nothing but excellent in order to deserve their pay. When you take an experimentalist (like me :-)), who can do a correct measurement producing some data, it doesn't matter if he understands the physics of what he'd just measured - the data will remain to be valid forever and hence the experimentalist has deserved his pay. A theoretician, who does not know the physics of what he/she is working on, simply cannot be of any use at all, except by accident. Hence my saying that theory is extremely challenging.

But there is a bright side too. A theorist can work to the full extent everywhere, in an office, on a beach, on an airplane. Experimentalists are much more tied to the machines. If a machine breaks down, experiments must stop for a (sometimes lengthy) repair. This does not stop a theorist, the only thing he/she really needs is the brain, a pencil and a scratch pad.

As a theorist, you most likely have your field of interest, where you develop your ideas, but you also must "be there" for colleagues-experimentalists, so that they can come and ask you questions from your broader expertise. There is not just one theoretical physics, there are several main branches. I usually deal with people from Condensed Matter physics, which deals with atoms and electrons and photons, uses a lot of quantum theory... Then there are cosmologists, who deal with the whole Universe (or perhaps a multitude thereof) but disregarding petty details like humans, then there are chaos-experts... and probably several more. One more exciting than the other.

I hope I answered your question satisfactorily, please ask more if you feel like it. And if you ever feel attracted to the experimental science, don't resist too hard - it's very exciting, trust me! The key to happiness is to do what you like doing. Whichever path you choose, I wish you luck in meeting good teachers on your way.

Cheers,
Daniel