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Asked by anon-326077 on 16 May 2022.
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Algernon Bloom answered on 16 May 2022:
Being good at a subject helps but the most significant thing, in my opinion, is being interested in it.
I was never the best at maths, but I love doing maths and programming because I enjoy knowing exactly why a rule works. That way I know exactly what something is doing and why.
If something catches your attention, see where that goes.
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Karin Purshouse answered on 17 May 2022:
The most important thing is finding it interesting and enjoying it. No matter what area of work you are in, there will be good days and bad days – perhaps a particularly difficult problem to solve or stress outside of work! So enjoying what you do day to day means you stay motivated and happy, both at work and outside of work.
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Jocelyn Bisson answered on 17 May 2022:
Be flexible and say yes to things.
It’s important to try to study something you enjoy and are interested in. However, you may have multiple opportunities to change direction and your interests may shift during your career. Try not to be too fixed in your idea of how your career will be (I definitely didn’t plan to be where I am now when I was at school!).
Also if any opportunities to do activities, work experience or volunteering come up in your subject (such as this I’m a Scientist) say yes and get involved.
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Emer Curley answered on 17 May 2022:
If you’re at an age where you’re choosing GCSEs or A-levels have a look at what subjects the courses you’re interested in are asking for in advance; for example, I remember some people who were caught by surprise when they realised that some courses wanted Maths A-level for entry to their Physics degrees, and while it’s definitely possible to find courses with different entry requirements it’s good to keep your options open.
If you’re not at that stage yet then finding stuff you can do outside of school that relates to the science (or other subjects) that you’re interested in and looks fun to you is good because it will look good on applications and, more importantly, can keep your enthusiasm up even if you get a bit worn out with schoolwork related to your area of choice (which is very easily done sometimes even with topics you love if you have a lot of coursework!) Someone who’s interested in Wildlife Biology might want to join a nature club, someone with an interest in medicine or healthcare might like volunteering at a hospital or getting involved with a program that will teach them First Aid skills (I think the Duke of Edinburgh award does this for people aged 14 and over, if anyone else can think of other orgs that do then please comment!)
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David MacLean answered on 17 May 2022:
You may not know what you want to do in life, but I would say, follow whichever subject you enjoy or whichever subject you are best at.
During school, I had no clue what I wanted to do as a career, and even when I went to University I still had no idea. I carried on the subjects I enjoyed and now I am in a job that I love because I followed my interests.
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Chelsea Gerada answered on 17 May 2022:
My general advice is to follow your passion, if your passionate about a particular subject you will find your study is so much more enjoyable. Also if you come across particular barriers e.g. not doing so well on a test don’t be disheartened failure is how we learn and grow. If you have a particular subject/ job in mind it is also worth reaching out to people in that profession that you know or perhaps your career counsellor so you can create some short and long term goals to get you where you want to be.
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Annabel Black answered on 17 May 2022:
If you want to study science in particular you’re starting off in the right place! Speaking to people who work in the area that you have an interest in is a great way to find out what kind of opportunities there are in the field and also what the challenges are! If science is something you’d like to study at university you might start to think where you’d like to study and have a look at what other subjects you need to get in (maths and English are often requirements for a lot of universities).
Outside of science following a subject that you’re interested in and passionate about is important. I loved history in school and even took it as an advanced higher class in my last year even though nothing in my job is based around history now! If you’re not sure what you’re interested in yet or you have lots of varied interests pick a range of subjects to give yourself options and contact people from different fields you might want to work in to get an idea of what you’d like to study further.
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Erminia Romano answered on 19 May 2022:
Be interested, be passionate and enjoy your job, whatever it is!
If they are curious, if they like to ask “why”, if they like challenges, if they like to explore and find answers and if they are good observers, then science is their way!
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Tamir Chandra answered on 20 May 2022:
Hi Toby,
In my opinion, you should choose what you are most passionate about. Don’t worry if someone else has better grades than you in that subject, in the end, it will come down to how excited and persistent you are. Remember that you will potentially spend a lot of time in whatever you choose to do, so make sure you enjoy it.
Regarding the choice of subject, I am fairly agnostic. We work with mathematicians, computer scientists and physicists doing biology. If you are doing a more life science-oriented undergraduate degree, make sure the curriculum teaches enough quantitative skills. These are sometimes more difficult to add at a later stage.
Good luck,
Tamir -
Iain Tullis answered on 20 May 2022:
You need curiosity in what you do. When you look at something think about how it works, why it is like they way it is- what’s going on? If you think like this it makes work easier and more fun.
Also – don’t give up on sports or exercise. You need to reset your brain. It doesn’t need to be competitive or in the gym. You can just go for a walk.
Have a hobby or something that your passionate about. It helps to relate to things.
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Maria Peiris Pages answered on 25 May 2022:
Go for it!! Science is fun! Studying opens lots of doors and makes your mind more critical, analytic, and that is always useful! As my grandad used to say: you can lose everything but knowledge!
My advice is to follow your instincts and study something you really like! -
Rachel Harris answered on 1 Jun 2022:
Science is generally not something you do for money, but for passion. If you love your job you never work a day in your life as they say! I believe if you find something interesting, work hard on that, and then just apply to do that when you leave school. It’s as simple as that really.
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Seung Hyun Lee answered on 13 Jun 2022:
Dear Toby,
I am not sure which stage you are at, whether you are a young student, older student or teacher.
From my background and experience, these are some habits what I found helpful:
-I do what is interesting to me, instead of what other people say or tell me what I should do.
-I sometimes question what is considered as the norm. And think outside the box.
-I ask around for advice in a wide range of matters relating to the subject and career e.g. how did you find X, how did you solve Y, what are pros/cons of Z etc.
-I find having a systematic approach when studying subjects helps, by focussing on the core principles then expanding onto related matters.
-I discuss and read around the subject, beyond the suggested curriculum. Everything is interconnected; having a breadth of knowledge and skills across multiple disciplines helps me.
-I moved around and gained experiences in various places in different continents. Meeting and working with people from diverse background helps me to broaden my horizon.
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