Career Advising and Resources

Career Advising Events

Spring 2017

Wed. April 19, 2017— Dr. Brad Conrad
12:00 pm in Olin Lounge.

Dr. Brad Conrad is an Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Appalachian State University; and is the Director of the SPS and ΣΠΣ at the American Institute of Physics. Dr. Conrad will discuss physics career options for physics and astronomy undergraduate and graduate students, as well some "professional development" ideas.

Wed. Feb. 15, 2017— Dr. Andrea Belanger
12:00 pm in Olin Lounge.

Dr. Andrea Belanger, a 2015 PhD grad from WFU, works as a Licensing Associate in the Office of Technology Commercialization at the University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. Belanger will discuss her experiences in the field of Technology Transfer and give an overview of the opportunities that exist in this field.

Fall 2016 Schedule

Wed. Nov. 2, 2016— Linda Whited and Brian Mendenhall
5:00 pm in Olin 105.

Ms Whited is the new Grad. School Career Coach, and Mr. Mendenhall is with the WFU Office of Personal & Career Development. They will provide an overview of how they can help both undergraduate and graduate students take that next step, whether it is getting a research fellowship, applying to graduate school or finding an internship or a job.

Wed. Sep. 21, 2016— Dr. Justin Sigley
12:00 pm in Olin Lounge.

Dr. Sigley is a 2013 WFU PhD currently working as a research scientist for St. Johns Optical Systems. His WFU PhD thesis was on "Measuring the Microscale Mechanical Properties of Fibrin Fibers and Cancer Cells." His current research interests are semiconductor materials for active and passive sensing systems. He will talk about his experiences working in industry.

Spring 2016 Schedule

Tues. Mar. 1, 2016— Alton Reich
11:30 am in Olin Lounge.

Mr. Alton Reich works for Streamline Automation in Huntsville, Alabama. Streamline works on the development of specialized power sources for rockets, from propulsion to guidance systems. Mr. Reich will discuss the role of a development scientist, how he got involved in this work, and the new directions that NASA is taking for space flight. Pizza will be served.

Mon. Feb. 8, 2016— Brian Mendenhall
12:00 pm in Olin Lounge 105.

Mr. Mendenhall is with the WFU Office of Personal & Career Development where he specializes in career education and coaching for the sciences. He will provide an overview of the OPCD, discuss how best to use Handshake, provide an overview of the grad school application process; and discuss other topics such as postbac internships, research fellowships, master's programs, and jobs available to BS science grads. Free Pizza will be served.

Fall 2015 Schedule

Wed. Nov. 4, 2015— Dr. Elaheh Rahbar & Kelli Sims
12:00 pm in Olin Lounge 106.

Dr. Elaheh Rahbar is a professor of Biomedical Engineering at WFU School of Medicine, and Kelli Sims is a recent Graduate from the WFU Physics Department who is now in the Biomedical Engineering Program at WFUSM. Both will be here to talk about the program at WFUSM and, more generally, about graduate opportunities in Biomedical Engineering. Free Pizza will be served.

Mon. Oct. 26, 2015— Jason Bates & Andrew Barelli
3:00 pm in Olin Lounge 106.

Dr. Jason Bates recently completed his PhD in Physics at WFU and now does work in Finance for General Electric Corp. Mr. Andrew Barelli will graduate this December with a BA in Physics and will begin working for Bloomberg. Both will talk about their experience with careers in Finance for physicists.

Career Resources

WFU Career Services

Why Study Physics?

Another great resource for information on careers in physics, how well physics majors do on MCAT exams, what starting salaries physics bachelors degree graduates are offered, etc. can be found on the following informative website maintained by the American Physical Society (the main professional society of physicists in the United States): https://www.aip.org/statistics/employment.

American Physical Society Career Center

Physics Today Jobs – American Institute of Physics Career Center with career development tools and job listings

Alternative Career Paths

The Wake Forest Schools of Business seeks applications for the Master of Arts in Management (MA) program specifically designed to give liberal arts, science and engineering majors the business skills needed to compete in a very competitive job market. The curriculum of this 10-month graduate business degree, which includes real-world consulting engagements with corporations and non-profits, is the perfect complement to an outstanding Wake Forest undergraduate education.

Even in a weak economy, six months after graduation 86% of the Class of 2010 MA graduates achieved careers in finance, marketing, general management and consulting at companies such as Frito-Lay, Bank of America, Wipro, Reynolds American Inc, Morgan Stanley, AT&T, Aon Hewitt, Accenture, ESPN, PricewaterhouseCoopers, United Way, Primo Water, Lowe's Food and Deloitte, to name a few.

To learn more about the Wake Forest MA in Management, please visit business.wfu.edu/ma.