• Question: Is it hard to become a scientist?

    Asked by Olivia to Gavin, Karen, Mark, Michel, Roisin on 9 Nov 2016. This question was also asked by 282xygg26.
    • Photo: Karen

      Karen answered on 9 Nov 2016:

      Hi Olivia, it takes a lot of hard work but if you love science it is not difficult.
      How hard something is, depends on your own talents and interests. Someone who is a brilliant scientist might be brutal at languages and vice versa. So No is the short answer?

    • Photo: Michel Destrade

      Michel Destrade answered on 9 Nov 2016:

      It’s a lot of work, so you have to be sure you like it before you go into it. Then it depends which branch of science you’re into. In some areas there are already a lot of people and not many jobs left and in others, there are lots of jobs and not enough scientists. The landscape changes all the time, so by the time you get to university it’ll be probably different from now.

    • Photo: Mark Kennedy

      Mark Kennedy answered on 10 Nov 2016:

      Karen and Michel has answered this pretty well – it is hard work, but if you love it, you don’t mind putting in the work.

      The hardest part is finding a good work/life balance though. You don’t want your life to just be about work and research – you have to find time for hobbies and friends too.

    • Photo: Gavin Coleman

      Gavin Coleman answered on 10 Nov 2016:

      It’s as tough as most other jobs, but it’s all the easier (I think) because the work is more interesting. To be a good scientist requires a lot of study, a good bit of drive, and an unquenchable (though sometimes dulled) curiosity about the world.
      The job is far more varied than many people think too. Would you like to be an academic researcher, where you study fundamental problems? There’s not as much money, but a lot more freedom in your work. Would you like to work for a company, where you might have lots of resources, but less freedom to pick what problems you want to solve? Then there’s people who do social analysis, act as advisors for government or companies, and all of this before you choose an area of science to work in!
      The best thing to do, as I did, is to follow what you enjoy. If you like science, pursue it, see what you like or don’t like, and keep learning and improving your knowledge 🙂

    • Photo: Roisin Jones

      Roisin Jones answered on 10 Nov 2016:

      I’m not sure I’d describe it as easy, because it definitely takes hard work and dedication, but the beauty of it is that if you love what you do (be it science or something else), the work doesn’t seem as hard, knowing the reward at the end. Also, on a personal level, I always found science an easy subject to work at because it’s always so interesting: there’s always something new to learn.

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