Interview with recent graduates currently in the workforce

This is one in a series of interviews with recent graduates who have completed a 3 or 4 year or Honours level undergraduate degree with a Physics major or a Physics-based multidisciplinary major. We’d value your opinions on your undergraduate Physics and how well it prepared you for the workforce.

Please fill in the following table of personal details:

I’d now like to ask you a series of questions pertaining to your Physics undergraduate studies (Physics below may be read as `multidisciplinary’ if appropriate).

1. What features of your undergraduate Physics studies were of most help to your learning?

• Emphasis on lab work

- planning and carrying out experiments

- documentation, writing up reports

• Tutorials good for teamwork

• Online access to lecture notes was helpful

- able to prepare for classes

- allowed for less note taking in class, more concentration on what was being explained

• Lectures could be helpful but often weren’t

2. How were you made aware of employment opportunities for Physics graduates in your undergraduate Physics studies?

• Talks from people in industry

• Attempt at recruitment for physics teachers

• Via the required industrial training (year long)

3. What aspects of your Physics education have helped you most in your career?

• Programming skills

• General laboratory technique and experimental design

• University-industry networks

• Mathematical skills within the physics context

• Communication skills

- giving presentations

- writing reports

4. Is it an advantage having done Physics? Do you think you have an advantage over graduates from other disciplines? How? Are there special knowledge and skills that Physics provides?

• Definitely

• Physics gives you a broader knowledge base

- allows you to work in other disciplines more easily

• Maths skills more pronounced in physics graduates

• Able to adapt well

• Passion for science

Graduate attributes table

Please fill in the following table by ticking the box that represents the level to which a particular attribute was used or developed in your undergraduate Physics subjects.

Please say if there was another valuable attribute or further comments.