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Ask HN: PhD in Physics in Tech/Finance Jobs

2 points by JoshCalbet ↗ HN
Do you guys work with/hire people holding a PhD in Physics? or do know if it is a common or rare practice?

Most of the people holding a PhD in Physics or Astronomy deal all their carriers with data analysis. Last week I went to a career fair and there was a company referring to positions in the finance sector while doing data analysis. When I asked, the head hunter said people holding an MBA and Economics degree is preferred. Something like the "Data analysis skill is the 'extra' not the main background desired".

4 comments

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sevensor
I don't think it's terribly unusual. I have a friend with a physics Ph.D. who went to work for a D.C. area consulting firm, subsequently moved to a startup. I've heard a lot of physicists get hired as quants too.
itamarst
Maybe that particular position is a problem, but there are many software engineers who started out as physicists. Also many data scientists.

Just as an aside, finance is a bit of a waste of one's skills, there are more useful things one can do with one's career.

JoshCalbet
Could you mention some concrete examples besides academia?