• Question: Are there any things you wish you knew before perusing your career?

    Asked by DavinaM on 7 Dec 2021.
    • Photo: Frankie Macrae

      Frankie Macrae answered on 11 Nov 2021:

      I wish I’d known that it’s okay to not know exactly what you want to do when you leave school, or even when you leave uni. I remember feeling a bit stressed about it at the time but I’m glad I took my time to work out what I wanted to do.
      I also wish I’d known earlier about what a healthcare scientist is, there are so many roles for scientists in the NHS that I had no idea existed until after I left uni.

    • Photo: Dapeng Wang

      Dapeng Wang answered on 11 Nov 2021:

      Yes. A lot actually. I wish I could know which University/Institution/Laboratory I should get training in and work in and which specific research direction that might interest me. I wish I could come up with a clear plan about how to progress my career smoothly.

    • Photo: David Clarke

      David Clarke answered on 11 Nov 2021:

      The main thing I wish I knew was how to research material online and through reading materials. Critically apraising what you read online is an essential skill for a scientist.

    • Photo: Nechama Wieder

      Nechama Wieder answered on 11 Nov 2021:

      yes, to really understand what your degree will get you. I did biomedical science because I read about being a biomedical scientist onliine and thought i would enjoy it – but i did not know that only some courses give you the biomedical scientist qualification, so I was a bit upset when I started the course and discovered more. My advice is to research the degree properly to know what you are getting yourself in for. In my case, it all worked out for me and im glad i am not a biomedical scientist!

    • Photo: Joaquin de Navascues

      Joaquin de Navascues answered on 11 Nov 2021:

      A scientist’s career can be very tricky to navigate – working hard and being focused is not enough. You need resources, good training, and mentoring, and sometimes it is just a matter of luck to obtain them. Finding people who can advise you wisely at every career step is very important, specially at the beginning.

    • Photo: Thomas Nicol

      Thomas Nicol answered on 12 Nov 2021:

      I wish I had known about all the different career options and routes you can take. A science career can be difficult and stressful. And it could involve moving anywhere in the world multiple times throughout your career. Consider what your priorities are and think about your options early.

    • Photo: Mukta Deobagkar

      Mukta Deobagkar answered on 12 Nov 2021:

      I wish I had known that it was alright to not have all the answers and to not have a clearly charted career path. When I finished school and started at university, I couldn’t make up my mind about what I wanted as a career for a really long time when so many of my friends knew exactly what they wanted to become. I enjoyed too many things and I worried I would make the ‘wrong choice’ and this was stressful. I now wish someone had told me to relax, enjoy what I was doing and do really well at it.

      The other thing I wish I had realised as a young scientist is the importance of networking and peer support. No matter what career you choose, life can be stressful and developing a support system that you can rely on can be really helpful!

    • Photo: Becky Cohen

      Becky Cohen answered on 12 Nov 2021:

      I definitely wish I’d known more about what I was getting myself into with my PhD. You have in your head that it’s all going to work perfectly and you’ll get great data from the start – but it’s not like that at all and you have to have a lot of mental resilience to get through it. In hindsight, I’d have spent some time being a research assistant/MSc student in the lab where I’d eventually do my PhD, to get a bit more of an idea of what it would involve before making the commitment to be there for 3+ years.

    • Photo: Chris Pyatt

      Chris Pyatt answered on 12 Nov 2021:

      I wish I had known about more potential careers before going to uni. I didn’t really have a goal in mind when choosing degrees/modules or when looking for jobs so I never knew what subjects were worth pursuing. Of course it’s worth bearing in mind that until you’ve tried a career path out for yourself, you’ll never know for sure whether it’s a good fit for you, so I wouldn’t worry too much about following a set path from the off.

    • Photo: Magdalena Sutcliffe

      Magdalena Sutcliffe answered on 15 Nov 2021:

      There are a few things I wish I had known. I wish I had known what potential career pathways there were for somebody looking to become a scientist. I also wish I had known how to find a good mentor and how much a good work environment matters.

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