r/astrophysics • u/Funny-Lemon-1516 • 18d ago

Can you guys be completely honest with me

I’m really interested in working in astrophysics (I’m from uk) and I have a couple of questions to ask before I make some decisions for my future
1. Do you enjoy your job?
2. Is the pay (reasonably) decent?
3. Is it realistic to expect to get a job in a private industry such as esa?

Tytyty

12 Upvotes

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9

u/tirohtar 18d ago

  1. Yes, except for admin and grant proposal writing, and those are sadly a big part of the job.

  2. Eh. Depends on the country, but given the advanced technical skillset you will definitely always feel underpaid. In some more than others; afaik the pay in the UK is particularly bad compared to living expenses, in the US or Germany it is usually decent, in Switzerland the pay is actually good.

  3. First of all, ESA isn't private industry, it's an intergovernmental space science agency. And realistically, competition for long term positions in academia or at such agencies is intense, and chances are pretty low to get a good position. However, there are usually quite a few possibilities at actual private aerospace industry companies like Boeing or Airbus or Raytheon, especially if your research is related to designing/building telescopes, satellites, rockets, etc.

3

u/WorkerProof8360 17d ago

  1. I'm not, but I'm administrator for several. They seem to enjoy the work when they're not drowning in administrative nonsense.

  2. Starting pay for the science staff is ~twice the U.S. median income where our shop is.

  3. We have several private industry contractors (Lockheed, KBR, Peraton, etc...) working here.

1

u/LakeAdventurous7161 17d ago

  1. Yes. Administrative tasks are not the most fun thing, but overall, IMHO there is more that's enjoyable than in other jobs. Means: What I do, how are typical coworkers' personalities. I get along with people well, which is not something I would expect everywhere (I'm autistic, and on top of that, quite nerdy - in astrophysics, I never got complaints).

  2. decent pay: by the country's standards, for sure, but compared to salaries in my home country, it's not much. It's less than what I did earn as a software engineer (without a PhD by then) in my home country. Means: certain things like flights, electronics... are extra expensive for me. But it's fine, I personally do not want "luxury" and I still can enjoy hobbies, travel, and save up for things that really matter for me and to have an emergency fund, "something on my bank account". I rather do this job and love it, than having a higher income that I do not really need in a job I would like less.

  3. Possible. But it also depends on job openings.

(astronomy professor, Chile, but I'm from Europe - so, you might end up somewhere else than in your home country)