A lot of physicists (that I know, at least) end up not going into physics. For example, I have a friend in Chicago (PhD from Princeton in December) making about $250K, not counting bonuses. (His boss's bonus last year was seven figures). I also have a friend working on the iPod design team in California, and another one working at IBM in Seattle on AI stuff. Another buddy of mine works at AMD in Austin, doing logical programming Not physicist jobs, but all physics PhD's. Every time I go hunting, my dad's buddies offer me jobs in the oil industry in Houston. This is the strongest argument for getting a PhD in physics---you're not limited to physics. The degree shows that you're willing to work your ass off understanding and solving a problem. Skills like computer programming are easy to learn, and I think companies know this---but motivation, determination, and intelligence are not things that are easily learned.
Steven Weinberg (Univ. of Texas) makes more than the head football coach (the rumor is that in his contract negotiations, he demanded one dollar more than the highest non-academic on campus). I've heard a rumor that Ed Witten is the highest paid academic physicist in the country, as well.
it looks like the median earnings are about 15-20k higher then the hard engineering professions, like chemical, mechanical, and nuclear. the lowest 10% is about equal to the entry level pay for engineers as well. looks like i might be changing majors. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! good i'm just going into my second year.
Oh yeah---If you're just in it for money, then you should definitely be doing physics. Go for a master's or PhD, and you can get any job that any engineer can get, but with higher pay. Most of the jobs my friends have outside of academia are engineering jobs anyway---they just start a lot higher up in the chain of command.
I concur wholeheartedly with BentheMan. But, don't forget to get some breadth in your education; makes you a better person. Strongly suggest some of the biological sciences and organic chemistry too boot. Music/Art and History is also much desired.
