Also called: Mathematical Physicist, String Theorist
Uses math and computer models to predict how nature works, from black holes to the inside of atoms.
Your tools are a whiteboard, a laptop, and long conversations with colleagues. You might spend weeks on one calculation about the early universe, then check whether experiments agree. Many theorists also teach university courses.
Academic theorists often earn less than the physics median; those in finance or tech earn more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 11 years after high school. PhD in physics, usually followed by several postdoc positions; academic jobs are very competitive.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). Growth figure is for physicists and astronomers combined.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI now does long calculations and checks proofs; fewer theorist jobs, already scarce, with new ideas staying human.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, Linear algebra dual-enroll.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.