I have a Physics degree, graduated in June 2006. My first job was with an Energy company, as a reporting analyst (spreadsheets, basically). I'm now working at the Diamond Trading Company (the commericial arm of DeBeers) as a Pricing analyst.
As someone working on his PhD in Physics I can answer that maybe
If you tell someone you have a Physics degree, their eyes sort of glaze over, and they don't hear anything you say for the next 12 minutes or so. After that they assume you are smart and trainable, so they hire you for whatever random thing they have an opening for and the last person didn't do well. Now they can brag that they have a Physicist working for them, even though you don't use your degree at all
I'll vouch for xienwolf on this. As I mentioned in the other thread, I got a BS in Chemistry and Biology (double major), and ended up working first, in munitions maintenance, and since, as a professional computer geek.
I got the munitions job in part because of my hard science degree, but in reality what it required was a business degree.
In essence, unless you look for and get a specific science-based job, most employers just assume that if you got a degree you are "trainable", and are willing to hire you for any random position.
QFT. The bit where they give you a job never seems to happen though. Just the eyes glazing over.As someone working on his PhD in Physics I can answer that maybe
If you tell someone you have a Physics degree, their eyes sort of glaze over, and they don't hear anything you say for the next 12 minutes or so. After that they assume you are smart and trainable, so they hire you for whatever random thing they have an opening for and the last person didn't do well. Now they can brag that they have a Physicist working for them, even though you don't use your degree at all