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Asked by anon-252550 to Ella, William, Luke, Jonathan, James, Connor, Arun on 5 May 2020. This question was also asked by anon-251882.
Question: How long have you been a scientist??
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Luke Bryden answered on 5 May 2020:
I have been scientifically-minded since I was really young, which is why it felt very natural for me to do a science degree at university. I would say I have been a scientist since I did my industrial placement work experience, which was when I did my first proper research job. So that makes it 7 years! This work experience helped me to get a feel for what a job in science was like, because studying at school and university always felt quite ‘hands-off’ and theoretical. Only after doing some lab work did I feel confident enough to call myself a scientist.
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Jonathan Benn answered on 5 May 2020:
Similarly to Luke I’d say I’ve been a scientist since my Industrial placement work experience, where I spent a year working as a research scientist in a pharmaceutical company as part of my degree. This was a great chance to get hands on with some real world science and is what gave me the confidence to apply for a PhD.That was now three years ago, although one of those years was spent as a late gap year!
As a first year PhD student I’d say I still feel halfway between “Student” and “Scientist” but then one of the best things about working in science is that you’re always learning new things to keep up with exciting developments!
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James Loan answered on 5 May 2020:
I started doing some research projects as an undergraduate half way through medical school – around 10 years ago. This inspired me to take an extra year of study to focus on neuroscience in particular. I’ve been doing science since then. However, until recently my research science has always had to take second place to medicine and I probably wouldn’t have called myself a scientist. In 2014 I managed to get a job formally combining my medical and research work and so only then would I get the confidence to call myself a Scientist.
However, as Luke and Jonathan say, I think being a scientist is all in the mind. If you are asking questions of the world and trying to answer them using scientific approaches – including critically reading research papers and learning science in School or University – I think you are totally justified in calling yourself a Scientist.
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Arun Prasad Pandurangan answered on 19 May 2020:
I have been a scientist for 17 years since the start of my PhD programme in 2003.
Comments
Kam commented on :
I’m not sure what would be considered the “start date” of being a scientist – first time being in a lab? First research project? The first paid job?
The first research project where I did stuff in a lab was during school – I got a summer placement at a university and ran an experiment with DNA from arthritis patients. That would be 11 years, but because it was so short, I feel it wasn’t enough to get “stuck in” the work.
First paid job would be an industrial placement during university, so that would be 8 years. This was the first time that I was left alone with my work, and the timescale of the project was also long enough to know what working in science was like.
However, I only had to confidence to call myself a scientist once I was being paid as a staff member and not as a student. So, that would be 6 months! As you can see, there are quite a range of responses as to when you would call yourself a scientist!
anon-251882 commented on :
Thank you for your replies: ). This is interesting stuff.It looks like work experience is really useful i am always asking lots of questions which my mum says is a good way to learn.George.
Shaline commented on :
If you base “being a scientist” from the moment you were interested in the field, then I have been one for over 25 years, however I think it’s fairer to say that I have been a scientist for a shorter period than that! I think I would have to say I have been a scientist for 9 years because the first time I truly felt like one was when I cultured my first ever Schwann cells and saw them under the microscope. It’s something I will never forget, and actually is a feeling that gets re-ignited every time an experiment works in the way you hope. Science really is amazing!!