Hi, i'm already being accepted to a MS (master's of science), the main reason I didn't want to do a PhD is because the long research process thta could take up to 6 years. I am a physics bachelor's and I don't want to do a PhD due to time issues. Is there any possibility for me to make six figures with just a MS??

 

I got a bachelors in physics and then switched to computer science. I was in the PhD program and passed qualifiers, but I got tired of being poor, and took an MS. I don’t feel my lack of a PhD held me back in my carreer. I was making well into the six figures by the time I retired 7 years ago. That said, when I retired, my company would hire only PhDs in my field (compiler development) directly out of school.

Bob

 

Is there any possibility for me to make six figures with just a MS??

It depends. If your specialty is materials and vapor deposition for semiconductors, yes. If your specialty is astrophysics. Not likely.

it also depends if you are a hermit and want to sit in the back of the lab or if you are a communicator who can lead a research group, talk to customers, justify the economics of research investments. It all depends. 6-figures as your first job offer as a physicist is not likely. Computer engineer, chemical engineer or software engineer - more likely. Why physics?

 

The level to which you take your education is inversely proportional to the number of job opportunities available. It's your choice but I am sure you don't want to become an over qualified dinosaur. I have met a number of those during my long career.

 

Not sure 6 figures is the main goal... Sure nice! But I prefer to be happy.... I don't even know if I earn that level, and I don't care.

I had my own company... I paid myself well but the stress became far too much... I probably still earn the same working for the company I'm with now, but a shed lot happier..

Over qualified is a big issue!! I wouldn't like to hear that I was over qualified... There are a lot of experienced people with lesser paperwork, that'll do the same job..

 

Like any role, salary is market-driven, but the opportunities change over time. I was earning 6 figures (in GBP) by my 40s (2000 on) working in a major consultancy/systems integrator with a BSc in Electronics and an MSc in Computer Science - I was involved in the early days of networking, e-commerce and e-banking and later cloud & cloud-migration - eventually running my own consultancy working with early adopters and big name vendors. My eldest son is nearly there in his late 30s in with a BSc/MSc in transport planning, my youngest is a web data analyst in his early 30s with no formal qualifications (dropped out in y2 of his BSc) but I suspect he wont be far off that within the next couple of years as its a role in high-demand and he's good at it.

 

Not sure 6 figures is the main goal... Sure nice! But I prefer to be happy.... I don't even know if I earn that level, and I don't care.

I had my own company... I paid myself well but the stress became far too much... I probably still earn the same working for the company I'm with now, but a shed lot happier..

Over qualified is a big issue!! I wouldn't like to hear that I was over qualified... There are a lot of experienced people with lesser paperwork, that'll do the same job..

I agree with you. Money was never too important in my career goals. I worked at what I had a passion for. The money took care of its self. Now, I am not wealthy but I am very comfortably retired and have everything I could wish for. I have no debts. I own a very modest home, not a showplace mansion. My car is not new or flashy but it gets me where I need to go. My wife and I enjoy a sociable life in a small town in Canada.
I guess it all depends on what you consider important in life.

 

I knew a guy in the Physics department at the University of Michigan who got asked very politely to leave their PhD program after 12 years with essentially no results. I also knew guys at Princeton University that were called into the dean's office at the end of their 3rd year to answer the question of why the university should waste another year on them to finish what they had started. Some made it but most did not. Nobody got a fifth year.

In short there are literally no guarantees to be had in any phase of this life and you ought not to expect them.

 

Six figures in US$ or NT? Where in the world do you want to develop your career?

 

Hi, i'm already being accepted to a MS (master's of science), the main reason I didn't want to do a PhD is because the long research process thta could take up to 6 years. I am a physics bachelor's and I don't want to do a PhD due to time issues. Is there any possibility for me to make six figures with just a MS??

There are SO many variables in your question. For some fields, a PhD is the starting point of your profession, and that's possibly only have having a few years as a post-doc. In other fields, getting a PhD can severely limit your career prospects because employers are concerned either that you will expect more compensation that the position merits, or because you are too narrowly focused on one small aspect (your dissertation area).

Without knowing the specific area of interest, the best I could say is that a masters is probably a good middle ground with perhaps the broadest range of good-paying opportunities.

If you are just completing a bachelors in physics, now is actually a very good time for you to do some serious career research. What is it you WANT to do? What is it you are passionate about? Then find out who does that kind of work and contact them (several of them) and ask them what they are looking for in a candidate and what the typical long-term prospects are with each degree. In the process of doing this, you may well find that your passion is actually best served with a graduate degree in something other that physics. A physics education is an excellent foundation for so many things, but much of the workaday world focused on applications that are better served by having a graduate emphasis in a different area.