There are a number of things that attract me to this profession.
First off, there's something deeply satisfying when I can understand some natural phenomena, when I can explain it, predict it, manipulate it. Not sure if this will change as I gain more knowledge with time, not sure if I'll pick up an "of course" attitude of an all-knowing (tenured) professor. I hope not, there are too many things to wonder, to explore and to question.
Then there is the variety of things one will do. My field right now is atomic & laser physics, but had some time in solid state physics (crystals, metals, properties of materials....). As much as I know other fields, this should be very similar in all: to be good at it, you'll want to know both the theory and the practice.
Theory: one learns how to model things, describe, simplify (just to the right amount), draw conclusions, predict. Will be able to do computer programs to do all of these. Use the power of statistics (for good).
Practice: one will try their be able to manipulate nature to the their whim. Create experiments, awesome machines from scratch. Create and use electronics. Program computers to automate as much as possible. Do optics, create systems that can see things never been seen before. Learn machining and making objects that most people could only imagine buying or not even that. Create extremes (vacuum, cold, heat, darkness, light, stability, ...) on a regular basis.
These encompass a lot and how can one achieve that? By knowing that the aim of (any good) physics education is not about learning the rules and how to apply them - but how to think.
It is a very powerful thing: once people are equipped with a curious mind, sufficient tools for scientific thinking and some practice in solving puzzles (a.k.a. a Masters degree, maybe?), there's a good chance that they can solve almost any other puzzle as well.
There is a the reason you can find physicists everywhere: innovation, industry (these are kinda duh, of course), economics, medical science, education, literature, music, ...
Physics teaches us that many things that look different are actually quite similar, that complex things can be simplified and sometimes simple things will became mindblowingly complex, that don't just follow conventional wisdom but look for more - and then accept what you find even when it is not what you expect... And in practice of a physicist learn how to be critical but also cooperative, how to delegate and how to roll up that sleeve and give that darn thing the best of your elbow grease...
Okay, from this you might have gathered I'm biased. Guess I am a little. But next time you have a problem with anything that's hard to crack - try to ask a physicist. ;)
