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Asked by Potterhead.x to David, Gemma, Juhi, Matt, Stéphane, Yinka on 6 Mar 2018.
Question: What would be your top tip for becoming a scientist and what is the hardest thing you have encountered in your career so far ?
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Gemma Chandratillake answered on 6 Mar 2018:
I think the most obvious first step would be to study science at University. From there, it really depends, and there are lots of directions that you can go in. Most, if not all of the Scientists in this group, followed a traditional academic career path, with some adjustments along the way. By that I mean, that after doing undergraduate degrees, we went on and did doctorates (PhDs), which is where you really learn to do basic science research on your own. The end goal of that path is often to run a research group at a University, but you could also go into industry e.g. a biotech or pharmaceutical company after doing a PhD.
However, from University, you can also go straight into Scientist jobs such as being a Clinical Scientist in the NHS: http://www.nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/join-programme/nhs-scientist-training-programme, or jobs in industry. The great thing about genetics at the moment is that it is a growing field so there are lots of opportunities to do all sorts of things, be it in a lab, in a company, for the NHS, or in science communication.
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Stéphane Berneau answered on 6 Mar 2018:
Hello,
My top tip for becoming a scientist is to follow what you like. It is a difficult career which requires a lot of perseverance. Therefore, if you like your subject and the team in which you work, then it makes it easier for you to be a good and happy scientist.
In my case (also relevant for few of my friends), I have moved to the UK to follow my dream to investigate human embryology and now to keep doing research in Reproductive biology (yes, I moved in twice to Manchester) because I know wha
My best advice will be to try to as much as experience in the laboratory in various teams and projects for you to be aware what you really like.
The hardest thing is I have encountered in my career so far happened when I first started in Manchester. Despite all the emotional support from France, I had made a choice to be living at 700km in another country away from my family and friends. Learning to live with that distance has not been easy the first two weeks but then, I have met another PhD students in the University and we became really close (and still are 5 years later).
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David Howard answered on 6 Mar 2018:
My top tip for becoming a scientist is to be as open-minded as possible. When I started my undergraduate degree (in Equine Management) I didn’t expect to end up working as a scientist. By talking to my lecturers I found out what my career options were and it was by considering what I also found enjoyable at uni meant that I choose this route. There are lots of different science jobs out there and by speaking to those involved will help you work out what you would like to do.
The hardest thing I have found in science is the career uncertainty. Once you have a PhD you will typically be able to get several 2 or 3 year contracts until you are able to obtain funding to conduct your own research. This means that you don’t always feel secure and may need to move around a lot and then getting your own funding is really tough as its very competitive. -
Matt Bawn answered on 6 Mar 2018:
Try everything you can and gain as much experience as you can to try and figure out what you like and what you don’t. If you realise that you are doing something you really don’t enjoy don’t be frightened to change…..
The hardest thing I encountered was when I went back to do my PhD after working in industry for 7 years. In industry I had quite a bit of responsibility and was in charge of installing equipment that could be worth around $1 million. I would be away for weeks or months at a time in different countries, working by myself to achieve deadlines and liase with customers. The when I started my PhD I was back at the bottom and people working in the universities wouldn’t necessarily treat PhD students as if their opinion mattered. This got better once I graduated and started my first postdoc but still sometimes the hierarchical nature of academia can get really annoying. You just have to have faith in yourself and demand that people treat you fairly. -
Juhi Gupta answered on 6 Mar 2018:
As a current student, I would definitely recommend exploring and then picking something you enjoy! You may spend years learning about/researching/working in one specific specialism after completing a science degree, so pick something that will keep you motivated.
Genetics is such a broad specialism – which is great because you can choose to study any part of it! This is similar to the other sciences too.Science is a constant learning process. During my University education I came across a few difficult sciences concepts, but when I spoke to experts about them it became easier to understand. That still happens now, but University prepares has prepared me with the right skills for this.
Things change or improve and you will discover more and more as you go along – embrace this 🙂 -
Yinka Abejide answered on 7 Mar 2018:
My top tip will be to engage in an aspect of science you love most. This is because some problem questions in science may be difficult to answer. But the drive and desire could aid in finding solutions to the problems.
For a student who loves or wants to engage in science, he/she would have to choose subjects from High school that are science-related to enable the course of choice at University.
For instance, I have always had interest animal health and livestock production. So at high school , I did biology and agriculture among other subjects which have me admission into Vet school. Now a PhD in animal genetics is helping and guiding my interest in livestock production.
Comments
Gemma commented on :
The hardest time in my career was when I really struggled during my PhD and postdoc (the job you do in an academic laboratory after you have a PhD, but before you are running your own research group). The project I was working on as a PhD student was going fine until another group in Germany working on a related, but different, thing, found exactly the same thing as me (using a different type of experiment), and published their findings before I could. That meant that I had to change direction and try to get another project together which I did, but with less time available and, since I was in the US on a visa, it was all pretty stressful. Nevertheless, I got a good postdoc job, but I think in the back of my mind, I had really began to question whether the basic science research environment was a good fit for me. I felt that I wanted to do something where I could make a more tangible difference for people with rare diseases, so I retrained as a genetic counsellor, and haven’t looked back since!
Potterhead.x commented on :
Do you think that being a woman can affect the chances of becoming a scientist and what difficulties have you encountered in your careers?
Stéphane commented on :
Hello, I think women have now the same chances of becoming a scientist. However, there is still some progress to be made for higher positions such as becomming the new head of research centre / faculty / university.