Original post by artful_loungerDepends on what you define as "real life maths" - if you mean maths as a mathematician does (or degree level maths) then yes, it's very different but possibly for the opposite reasons you think. As far as general day to day life, it's overkill but the same skills in theory being used, just with less explicit reference to paricular numerical values and applications. In terms of engineering and the physical sciences, it's probably closer than either of the others - finding general analytical solutions to problems.
As far as robotics goes, it's perhaps less directly related to physics although you could well end up in that area. Mathematics is much more closely related, as the central aspect of the area is control/systems theory, which is very mathematical.
Regarding remuneration, most "physicists" (i.e. those whose primary activity is researching, experimentally or otherwise, the physical sciences especially physics) are by definition more or less academics in universities etc. While pay levels vary, most lecturers are able to live comfortably - this doesn't mean living in a palatial mansion however. But they are able to, in a two-income home, support a family, or support themselves if living alone without great concern for finances. Those working in industry e.g. in governmental research sections (the NPL or the Met Office) or maybe in high level R&D in corporate (tech, usually) environments will probably make on average more, but those at the top universities will probably have competitive salaries when you account for various fringe benefits of the role.
Equally as above, people can go into engineering/computing/tech sectors from a physics or mathematics background. I know someone who did her MPhys then went on to a software development training scheme (and later permanent position) at the Met Office (purely doing software development - she doesn't do any of the physical modelling, she just builds/maintains the softwares the modelling teams use), and I've heard of several (whom I didn't know personally) that went into grad schemes offered by engineering/tech companies. Such grad schemes (also in CS, i.e. software development/engineering) often just require a "numerate" degree (which would include physics).
I would note probably a majority of the people I knew who did physics did not go on to a PhD in the subject (and thus academia) - many went into similar areas to above, more general business/media roles, or teaching or something sometimes. One did a PhD, and then ended up leaving academia to work as a tutor for maths and physics (which he started doing during his PhD to earn a bit of extra money, and ended up with experience and building up a core "client" base and recommendations from them, making about £50 an hour with near full time hours if he chose to accept them) as he actually earned more doing that than the postdoc positions (which weren't badly paid) offered! Another who did a PhD remained in academia nominally, but not as an academic - he now runs his former supervisors lab for him, essentially continuing his experimental work that he enjoyed without the pressure to publish (or teach, which he was ambivalent about). Another I know who did his PhD in (astro)physics decided he'd learned enough physics and went to become a data scientist at an insurance firm.
Additionally I think a solid half of our lecturers in electronic and materials engineering were originally from a physics or maths background in their undergraduate (and sometimes PhD). So you can certainly "hop" fields, even in the academic side.
As you can see, there are plenty of options either from undergraduate or PhD level in Physics, both within and outside of the subject area.