• Question: What are the advantages of being a professional scientist?

    Asked by Rianna to Craig, Flavia, Giuditta, Jack, Sheona on 9 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Jack Carlyle

      Jack Carlyle answered on 9 Nov 2015:

      Your job is to learn something new every day! It’s fascinating. And you also get to visit so many amazing places – I went to three continents in six months last year and got to work with some incredible people.

    • Photo: Giuditta Perversi

      Giuditta Perversi answered on 9 Nov 2015:

      The equipment and the amount of networking, for sure!

      Labs tend to be really expensive and the stuff that you can use in the university are totally different to the ones that are allowed in the industry, even in Research&Development.
      Also, when you ask for money, you are not necessarily chained to “we need to profit from this thing”. Being a professional scientist in an university environment gives you the opportunity to explore the boundaries of our knowledge just for the sake of it.
      Another good thing is that you are surrounded by a whole group, usually, and you put a lot of effort in getting to know other scientists and share ideas, to create a network you can rely on. The effect “I know a guy who knows a girl who did exactly the same thing I want to do in another way, I should maybe ask around” is really important for a successful research! 😀

    • Photo: Flavia de Almeida Dias

      Flavia de Almeida Dias answered on 10 Nov 2015:

      I think the biggest advantage is to do what you love as a job. When I was growing up, I have seen so many adults hating their jobs and always being stressed out and wanting the eight hours of their working day to be over soon, and I always thought it was such a waste of time! If you spend a third of your day sleeping, another third doing a job you hate, and you only get another third to eat, clean your room, groom yourself, and also do all the activities you enjoy, it sounds like a big waste of time! I never wanted to be miserable in my job for months just so I could get enough money and have a two weeks vacation somewhere and trying to make it the best. I much rather do a job that I love, and still be able to take those vacation times (although probably flying economy class and staying in a much less fancy hotel), but to be much more relaxed and happy when coming back from work to spend time doing my hobbies and with my family.

      Plus, as a scientist you get to travel the world on expenses! In my last year of Ph.D, I have been to all continents in the world (except Antarctica) in a 12 month window, all paid by my University, to go to conferences and workshops. It’s like being rich, but without the money part 😉

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