Jonathan Hayman: Follow His Lead When Considering Your Physics Education Choices

If you are curious about what it takes to become a physicist, you should learn the basic education requirements. Reading the blog written by Jonathan Hayman could be considered a start to finding out the typical schooling required, but of course not everyone takes the same path. Consider the main ways to get an education and break into this field.

You will find that most physics jobs require more than a bachelor's degree, which is why Jonathan Hayman is pursuing further education. With a bachelor's degree, you can likely become a physicist's research assistant, or even branch out into other fields. This is considered a start to becoming a physicist, but you will likely not be able to officially be one without a graduate degree. Of course, during your undergraduate years, you may realize that you want to take a different path anyway, such as going into computer science instead, in which case you do not need a master's degree in physics.

If you want the highest amount of choices within this industry, you should go for a master's degree. This will allow you to teach the subject, or at least apply to jobs that are higher than a research assistant. Not only will your ability to get a great job be improved, but you will likely make more money at the position that you do land.

Of course, pursuing even more education will allow you to have more options. Getting a Ph.D will allow you to become a physicist, college professor, and more, though of course you can expect at least four years of schooling. You will also need to choose a concentration within this subject, and can expect to take classes that focus on subjects like quantum physics, classical mechanics, and electromagnetic theory, to name a few common topics. Additionally, you will be expected to write a dissertation on a subject of your choosing, which will usually be related to the concentration you have chosen. You will then have to defend your thesis, which you should expect will take several months to put together.

You may be inspired by people like Jonathan Hayman, as this type of person pursues the necessary education to get the position he wants. It is important to know that you can do the same if you are interested in spending years learning about this subject, and then practicing it everyday for your job. Before you decide on the type of education you want, consider the career you desire so that you have an idea of how long you will be in school. This is typically the fastest path to getting the job you want when it comes to the physics field.