Physics postdoc checking in. Physics can be a great career, but only if you (duh) really like physics. The average work day is very interesting and challenging, the hours are flexible but can be long, the pay is often lower than other jobs with equivalent training, and the people are often badly dressed.
There are multiple avenues:
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Academia: after your PhD, you complete one or two postdoc positions (research positions lasting 2-3 years), then a professorship at a university, where you spend the next 5-7 years working to get tenure. It’s a lot of work (it takes many days of long hours to get tenure), but probably the best work environment, for the worst pay.
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National lab: similar to academia, except you don’t teach. A permanent career may be easier than tenure, but your research has to be compatible with the lab’s mission and funding. The pay is much higher than academia, almost at industry levels. (This is my current career goal.)
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Industry research: after your PhD, you do research for a company. The pay is great, but you work for a company, with all the bullshit that entails. You have much less control over what you research, but the pay is usually very good.
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Something else: there are fields (e.g. finance, consulting) which will hire physics PhDs with no background in their area and train them. Having a PhD in physics usually means you have learned to pick up new things quickly and are good at solving problems. I know several people who have left physics to make big bucks on Wall St.
Some of these paths are very competitive, but you will definitely get a good job in at least one of them, once you have a PhD.
But, this is all very premature. First, you should take some college physics and see if that’s what you like. Typically, the first two years are not representative, as they are required for other fields and/or used a weed-out courses. They may not be as well-taught as the upper level classes for physics majors. As already mentioned, being good at math is important. You sound worried about your math skills based on your high school AP courses. Don’t stress about it yet – take college calculus classes and see how you do.
If you decide to study physics, and plan to go to graduate school, let me offer the single most important advice: learn as much physics as you can in undergrad. This sounds dumb but it isn’t. Typically, in undergrad, trying to get good grades takes up so much of your time that you don’t have extra to really understand the physics. You learn how to solve problems, which is useful but not the same thing. Also, undergrads are often too intimidated to ask questions in class. Ask questions, no matter how dumb. Go to office hours and ask more questions. Read the book. Try to understand what is going on physically, as well as how to do calculations. The sooner you do this, the easier things will get and you will quickly distinguish yourself from your classmates.
Finally, don’t get discouraged. If you don’t feel like you know anything, you’re OK. Most early grad students still don’t know anything, really. It takes time to understand.
What schools are you considering? There are many good schools for physics, depending on what part of the country you want to be in.