[BurnGpuBurn]

You're quite wrong in your guess but that's ok. I work in a research lab actually, and there's lots of experimental physics going on here.

I never claimed people are choosing a career in physics research for the money, I just used the argument of having to choose to lose ones income. Also, I can't help but notice though that, when ascended high enough on the academic ladder, the income isn't a joke either.

[SirHumphrey]

Do you know what severely hurts your income as a scientist? Lying about the data and then other people finding out. With the amount of data both of LHC detectors were publishing covering up the lie would be impossible- it’s exceedingly difficult to fabricate data convincingly (see Jan Hendrik Schön).

I would be much more worried about errors in methodology than falsifications.

[sanderjd]

The income is a total joke compared to what those people would be able to make on any private sector job ladder. Anyone who can be a tenured research physicist could easily make seven figures (likely more) in finance.

[poincaredisk]

>easily make seven figures (likely more)

I agree that income is a joke but... more than seven figures as in eight? That's quite a lot.

[sanderjd]

Yeah I guess this might be hyperbolic. But my sense is that quite a few quants make seven figures, and that people capable of being tenured research physicists could be at least in the top of that group, if not partners / executives at those firms, which I believe is often an eight figure job. If they could stomach the work, that is...