Career profile Physicist

Table of Contents

• What does a Physicist do?
• What is a typical salary for a Physicist?
• What personality traits are common among Physicists?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Physicists need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Physicist do?

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

What kind of tasks does a Physicist perform regularly?

Physicists are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• 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.
• Design computer simulations to model physical data so that it can be better understood.
• Write research proposals to receive funding.
• Teach physics to students.
• Report experimental results by writing papers for scientific journals or by presenting information at scientific conferences.

The above responsibilities are specific to Physicists. More generally, Physicists are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Physicist salary?

What personality traits are common among Physicists?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Physicist are usually higher in their Investigative and Realistic interests.

Physicists typically have very strong Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Also, Physicists typically have moderate Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Physicist tend to value Recognition, Working Conditions, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Physicists very strongly value Recognition. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious.

Second, Physicists very strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Lastly, Physicists very strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Physicists must consistently demonstrate qualities such as innovation, achievement/effort, and analytical thinking.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Physicists, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Physicists need?

Many Physicists have earned a graduate degree. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D..

Physicists may need some on-the-job training, but most candidates will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Educational degrees among Physicists

• 19.8% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 19.5% earned a Master's degree
• 60.8% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Physicists

Important Abilities needed by Physicists

Physicists must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Physicists need abilities such as mathematical reasoning, written comprehension, and number facility in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Physicists, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Physicists

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Physicists frequently use skills like science, reading comprehension, and mathematics to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Physicists, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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