5 reasons why you should study physics

  • Helena Kudiabor
  • Jun 17 2022

If you’re not sure what to study, why not choose physics? You’ll have the opportunity to learn about how and why the world works, and you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a career.

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Physics makes the modern world possible

Have you ever driven a car? Watched a show on a flatscreen TV? Called your best friend on your mobile phone? Without physics, you wouldn’t have been able to do any of these things! 

Even non-technical objects have been indirectly supported by physics. For example, the mass production of clothes would be impossible without physics. Completing a physics degree will allow you to learn more about the history of some of your favourite objects.

You can apply the maths you’ve learned at school

Think back to your secondary school maths classes, where you learnt things like quadratic equations, graphing, and pythagoras theorem. You probably wondered whether you would ever end up using this in your future life. 

Physics takes the maths you’ve learnt and applies it to real-life situations, giving you a greater appreciation of the maths you learnt, and why it matters. Physics will also make complicated maths equations much easier to understand. 

Unlock a wide range of career opportunities

There are so many different career opportunities for physics graduates, regardless of your identity or background. If you’d like a physics specific career, you could become a physics teacher or professor, or an academic researcher. 

If you’re deciding between a medicine or a physics degree, complete a degree in physics and become a medical physics clinical scientist. These scientists develop equipment used to diagnose health conditions and improve patient outcomes. 

However, completing a physics degree allows you to unlock a range of STEM careers, for which all you need is a degree in a STEM subject. You could become a patent attorney, an engineer, or a meteorologist!

Bear in mind that you don’t even need a physics degree for a successful physics career! There are apprenticeship programmes and technical qualifications for those who aren’t interested in university.

You’ll develop transferable skills

In addition to learning more about physics itself, you’ll gain a number of transferable skills. This will help you in your career journey, but also in your day-to-day life. Skills you’ll gain include: problem solving, data analysis, communication and team working.

Gain a greater perspective

Physics gives you a greater understanding of the universe we live in. Everyday, we see a very tiny portion of the small planet we live on. Studying physics will make you appreciate the massive world we live in, and the way everything works together to make our modern world.