Astrophysics is a niche career field. It is a particular course to pick from an abundance of courses offered. This may be a promising career for you, considering that you are passionate and drive for it. Generally speaking, astrophysicists get paid around $76,000 to around $105,000. Your salary range also depends on your location, your education qualification, and your experience in the field. Other than it is also the kind of skill you need to help you navigate your way through this career. While it may be an excellent career to get into, it can be highly competitive due to its niche. While there are plenty of opportunities in this field, it can be a little difficult to land a job. So you must be able to put out an application that stands out from the rest. While this subject may not be the most straightforward job, it is not impossible.
Various job placements are available to those who pick a career in astrophysics. Your career may be working with the government or in private organizations (not as often). You may also work in academic institutions or labs. This depends entirely on the job you take up. Some of those career paths in astrophysics include some of the following.
- University Professor
- Researcher
- Aerospace Engineer
- Data Scientist
- Scientific Journalist
The above list given is just an example of what jobs you could pursue as there are many more branches that you can look into!
Astrophysicists study the universe and all the matter around it. They study the physicals and the interactions between the celestial bodies. With our ever-expanding universe, the need to explore the unknown and to find planets just like ours has increasingly taken precedence. Astrophysicists use their skills and knowledge in mathematics, physics, and computing technology to map out our universe. Their main aim is researching.
Picking up astrophysics as a career choice has its difficulties. This essentially means that for one thing, you would need to commit to studying the subject. This will not be such a challenging task if you are passionate about the subject. More than that, however, you will need to study topics such as mathematics and related physics.
How do you start your career in astrophysics?
Since this career depends quite heavily on mathematics and physics, ideally, those are the subjects that should be taken and also be of interest to you. If you genuinely consider a career in astrophysics, you should study science subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics during your high school years. This generally sets the foundation of your studies and helps create a base.
For your undergraduate program, you can choose courses such as
- B.Sc in Astronomy and Astrophysics
- B.Sc in Mathematics
- B.Sc in Mathematics
The above three given are just examples of what courses you can take up at the undergraduate level. Some universities offer the same courses; only the title of the courses may slightly vary. Be sure to check those out before opting for the course. In short, courses that revolve around any sciences, mathematics, and more specifically in Astronomy and Astrophysics as that is the career you are looking at. You may have to choose a major in Astrophysics and other related subjects to this course to help you get at least an entry-level job.
Most jobs, though however, would prefer, and some make it a mandate that you have a master’s and sometimes a Ph.D. The more degrees that you have and the higher your degree, the better job opportunities that lie ahead for you.
Some of the Universities That Offer Good Programs are Listed Below
- CalTech
- UCLA
- Michigan state
- John Hopkins
- Georgia State
- University of Virginia
- Cornell
Internships and summer courses are also good ideas to furnish your existing skills and develop new ones. Internships help you gain perspective and experience to help you find your area of interest and the kind of job or career you may like to pursue. Summer courses, or any courses for that matter, can help you gain skills and build up your knowledge on the subject.
Astrophysics as a Career
When you work in astrophysics, in the beginning, the pay may not be as good when you start, however as you gain more experience and sharpen your skills, this too will change. As an astrophysicist, you will have to spend hours researching and analyzing data. You may have to use various theories in maths and physics to help in your research. Each day might not be the same as the last. A lot of the time, there may be many calculations that you will have to do. Many of your research will revolve around the planets, stars, and any other objects in the universe. As an astrophysicist, you will have to learn to use the equipment explicitly meant for this field of work.
Due to the tasks that are mentioned above, your ideal day may not have a set timeline that you have to follow. Depending on the job that you get, your tasks will also vary. As mentioned before, while the pay may not start lucrative, your salary will also increase with more time than you spend. You also get to enjoy many benefits such as sick leaves, pension plans, insurance, and so on, depending on where you work. This field is also gratifying, and you make contributions to science and knowledge. Your contributions would help further studies and help generations of researchers to come.
Due to the majority of the universe still unknown, there is constant potential for research in any given aspect. This furthers opportunities and encourages people to join this field. It is a fascinating subject, and there is so much to learn and discover. You will have to work with technology that you are not used to, and while you will be trained to do so, there may be a period of adapting to it.
Technology is an integral part of this field. From making calculations to collecting data, technology is used extensively in this field. It would be a new experience for you if you are not used to it, but you may find this exciting if you love the subject and what it stands for. One key factor that you need to keep in mind is that generally, you will need a passion for this field. There may be times where there will be a lot of work involved, and having the drive to continue in this field is very important. Being good at physics and maths is a bonus when it comes to this field. While it is not impossible to continue in this field without liking the subjects, it does become a little more challenging.
As mentioned before, spending time on internships and courses can help narrow down exactly the kind of jobs you want to pursue.
Skills That Can Help You in the Field of Astrophysics
- Observational Skills: These skills are crucial in this field as a lot of the work you may do requires observations, whether in data or conducting experiments, or making calculations. No matter the job that you are given, you will still be observant in your work.
- Analyzing: This is another essential skill used when looking into research, conducting experiments, finding variables, and so on. You will look into a lot of past research when conducting your observations, and all the data results you receive will also require analysis.
- Patience: There is a lot of the universe and its working that is yet to be discovered. In this line of work, there may be things that take time to work. There may be some new ideas that may work or fail. Some of the work that you may have to do is trial and error and will require patience.
- Thinking Outside the Box: When you think out of the box, generally, you will look at things from a new perspective. Trying new things and doing things that look at something differently can be helpful.
- Research Skills: As mentioned before, you may have to do a lot of research in this field. So gathering information and looking into various texts and other material is crucial. You will have to interpret and analyze all the data that you have collected. It is a necessary skill.
- Being Good at Mathematics and Physics: As obvious as it sounds, it still is good to be good at these subjects. It will be the foundation of almost all your work, and you will have to apply all that you have learned in your career.