Should I go to grad school and pursue a doctorate in physics or should I take 
my physics degree, get on the road and try and be a rock star?

---

Request for Question Clarification by waggawa-ga on 18 Apr 2002 17:32 PDT

Stong passion would be required on either path, unless you are satisfied with 
mediocrity. Luck and social connections may play a larger role for a future as 
a rock star (note that talent is not necessarily a requirement; see Keanu 
Reeves). Either path could be paved with years of poverty and despair. What 
ultimately are your goals? Wealth? Self-fulfillment? Contribution to humanity? 
(Or something else...?) Where does your torment lie? Where do your talents lie? 
What is the basis of your indecision? What holds you back from either path?

Dear Hunter,

The answer is, it all depends on what's more important to you in a career: 
money, power, stability, spiritual satisfaction, or any number of other 
factors. 

From the resources I have found, I conclude that physics PhD's are doing better 
financially than rock musicians in all income ranges. Job satisfaction survey 
results show that physicists and musicians are on average more satisfied with 
their jobs than people in other occupations.

Interesting statics are available from The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 
site (http://www.bls.gov).

US Dept of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook compares a number of occupations 
by several parameters, including earnings, unemployment rate, etc.

See sections on

Physicists and Astronomers
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos052.htm
"Significant Points 
 
A doctoral degree is the usual educational requirement because most jobs are in 
basic research and development; a bachelor’s or master’s degree is sufficient 
for some jobs in applied research and development. 
Because funding for research grows slowly, new Ph.D. graduates will face 
competition for basic research jobs.  
...
Earnings

Median annual earnings of physicists and astronomers in 2000 were $82,535. 
Median annual earnings of astronomers were $74,510, while physicists earned 
$83,310. The middle 50 percent of physicists earned between $65,820 and 
$102,270. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $51,680, and the highest 10 
percent earned more than $116,290." 

Musicians, Singers and Related Workers
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos095.htm
"Significant Points 
 
Part-time schedules and intermittent unemployment are common; many musicians 
supplement their income with earnings from other sources. 
Aspiring musicians begin studying an instrument or training their voices at an 
early age. 
Competition for jobs is keen; those who can play several instruments and types 
of music should enjoy the best job prospects.  

...
Earnings

Median annual earnings of salaried musicians and singers were $36,740 in 2000. 
The middle 50 percent earned between $19,590 and $59,330. The lowest 10 percent 
earned less than $13,250, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $88,640. 
Median annual earnings were $41,520 in the producers, orchestras, and 
entertainers industry and $16,570 in religious organizations."

There's some information on rock stars on the BLS site as well:
Rock Star
http://www.bls.gov/k12/html/mus_001.htm
"Earnings depend on how popular a performer is. Half of all musicians earned 
between $13,980 and $54,200 a year in 1998. The lowest 10 percent earned less 
than $11,910 and the highest 10 percent made more than $91,810"

Check out the American Institute of Physics site for more statistics:
http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/emptrends.htm
http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/highlite/emp/figure5.html
http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/highlite/emp/figure6.html

The San Diego State University Physics Page 
(http://www.physics.sdsu.edu/general/physics.html) has a section about 
facts and views on the current employment situation in physics.

Brian Schwartz in his article "Is there life after the Physics PhD?" notes some 
pluses and minuses of the decision to get a PhD in physics:

http://www.phys.psu.edu/~endwar/jobs/schwartz.html

Pluses:
"The major point to encourage you as you go out into the economy:  
        As a graduate student in physics, you are already in the top 1% 
or so of brains in the country.  An income of $60,000 in a $6x10^12 is a share 
of one part in 10^8, i.e. an average chunk of the economy.  Doing above 
average in this context isn't that difficult if you're creative and 
persistent and prepared."

Minuses:

"600 or so jobs for 1400 people.  

        It is a fact of instituional life that university departments and 
researchers are rewarded for producing PhDs, without regard for whether this 
"product" is needed."

He discusses what should be done to change the situation.

There's more salary-related information at

JobStar.org: Profession-Specific Salary Surveys
http://jobstar.org/tools/salary/sal-prof.cfm

Try these Google searches as well:
site:www.bls.gov musician
site:www.bls.gov physicist
physics OR physicist "job satisfaction"
musician OR musicians OR music "job satisfaction"
phd physics employment OR career trend OR trends
musician OR musicians employment OR career trend OR trends

Work in general is a much discussed issue; have a look at the sites listed 
under Rethinking Work in the Google Directory:

http://directory.google.com/Top/Society/Work/Rethinking_Work/

Very good answer.  The Answerer focused mostly on hard facts and earnings.  I 
would have liked to see more philisophical diatribe on the pros and cons of 
following ones dream.  Perhaps a famous quote, some lyrics, or a limerick to 
illustrate my plight may also have been helpful.  I found waggawa-ga's 
question "what is the basis of your indecision" most compelling.  Perhaps like 
other young people throughout the ages I must go on some form of vision-quest, 
or rite of passage to determine my fate.

Thanks!

The combination is a wonderful thing, as in the movie 'Young Einstein' made by 
the Australian film maker Yahoo Seious.

I would sugest that you follow your heart's desires.
You can also consider what you would feel most comfortable with.

As a rock-star you will give thoughts, hope, and joy to many people.
The Beatles, ABBA, Rolling Stones, they all mean something big
for many of us.

As a physicist you may discover something that can be of benefit
to the whole mankind. You may have the solution to interstellar
space travel, or infinite energy, or other significant breakthru's.
You may also become a role model for future scientist.
Like all these great people, Albert Einstein, Nicolai Tessla, Alfred Nobel,
Anders Celsius, Stephen Hawking, and Rosenberg. etc.

You select.
Mankind will watch your progress, on any selection you choose.

get a PhD later. Rock stars are for young guys/girls (as in 18-30
years old). There's too much stigma associated with being an old
rock-star. Statically, chances are poor you won't raise yourself above
the background noise as a musician, and therefore, it won't be very
lucrative, but then a few years from now you can always go back to
school and have the benefits of the rock-star karma with you for the
rest of your life.

Go to school! and then try to be a rock star later, you can always
fall back on your schooling when you flop as a rock star, unless your
already a rock star then you can afford to go to school.