Making decisions about your career can be an exciting process, but for most people it’s also a tricky one. Physics World Careers 2024 is here to help you navigate the current jobs market – to find the right role that matches your skills and interests, while also letting you discover all the many opportunities available to you. The good news is that if you are an early-career physicist, or about to graduate with a degree in physics, then your talents and expertise are in high demand.

Employers from sectors as varied as construction, healthcare, engineering, green energy and data science are looking for people with your physics skills and knowledge, as well as additional transferable skills that will let you successfully apply physics within the workplace. A good place to start is the article “The demand for physics skills in the UK workplace” in the “Careers development” section, by physicist and broadcaster Sharon Ann Holgate. She reveals the key findings of the Physics in Demand: the Labour Market for Physics Skills in the UK and Ireland – a report produced for the Institute of Physics.

To take stock of what a successful career looks like for you, our “Case study” section showcases some of the myriad of researchers across academia and industry, working in everything from cosmology and quantum computing, to biology and education. And if it’s careers advice you are after, take a look at the “Ask me anything” section, where top physicists offer their sage advice. As always, we also have a comprehensive “Employer directory”, where you can find out more about companies and institutions currently hiring physics graduates. If you’re ready to start your job search, do explore all the latest opportunities on the Physics World Jobs website, where you can find vacancies in physics and engineering for people at all career stages.

You can also sign up for the Physics World careers newsletter, sent out every two months. To subscribe, simply sign into your free Physics World online account and tick the “Careers bimonthly” box.

The overall picture for those graduating with a degree in physics is a positive one, as we attempt to meet the needs of science, commerce and society.

We hope you find Physics World Careers 2024 a useful guide to your many options.

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