If you’re studying physics, you’ll have endless career opportunities to pick from once you graduate. So if you’re weighing up what to do next, the latest annual Physics World Careers guide is here to help you plan your best route – and perhaps introduce you to options you’d never thought of before. The free-to-read 102-page digital guide includes advice on career development, case studies showcasing different paths in academia and industry, as well as a  comprehensive directory of employers looking to hire physicists just like you.

If it’s a further foray into academia you’re after, with a master’s or PhD in your sights, then we can help you pick the perfect postgraduate topic. If research into data science and high-energy physics is what you’re interested in, read our interview with CERN openlab’s Federico Carminati, as he lays out the future of particle physics and computing. Don’t forget to follow up with data-science employers, such as Tessella and TPP, which are looking to hire physicists.

With more than 60% of physics graduates pursuing careers in industry, our guide has you covered there too, with profiles of physicists employed in a myriad of businesses. Our case studies have been penned by real physics graduates working in everything from photonics and space science to quantum physics and optics. There’s also Julia Zimmermann, co-founder of the German plasma and medical start-up firm Terraplasma, and Pascal Gallo, co-founder and chief executive of Swiss quantum-tech start-up company LakeDiamond.

If your heart’s in medical physics or quantum tech, take a look at employers and institutions such as Elekta and the Quantum Science and Nanomaterials International Graduate School (QMat). And if you are a wannabe entrepreneur, find inspiration in our “Start-up stories” section, where you’ll meet the bold researchers who’ve taken the plunge and set up their own businesses.

And if you’ve still got a long way to go before you graduate,  check out the career-development article on “Going the extracurricular mile”, which explores the benefits of finding a placement or internship to see what kind of career might best suit you and your skills.

I hope you find Physics World Careers 2020 useful. And if you want even more, do sign up for our careers newsletter. Sent once every two months, it brings you a mix of case studies, careers advice and practical information from leading employers you might be interested in working for. To sign up, simply sign in to your free Physics World online account and tick the “Careers bimonthly” box.