• Question: What advice would you give to an aspiring scientist? (e.g. someone still in school)

    Asked by Timea to Dave, Ed, Guido, Hugh, Stef on 11 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Dave Bond

      Dave Bond answered on 11 Mar 2015:

      Ask questions, there is no such thing as a silly question and this is part of the core about being a scientist.

      See if you can get work experience in a scientific facility, it might only be a few days. But it will show you what science realy is in terms of what your day job could be.

      Thinking back to my time in school, very few choices I made then, made a lasting impact on my future. What you choose to do at college and university increasingly makes a bigger difference. It is good to know what you want to do, and aim for it but make sure you enjoy what you are aiming for.

    • Photo: Ed Rial

      Ed Rial answered on 11 Mar 2015:

      Hi Timea

      My advice would be to follow your interests, ask questions and to not be afraid of failure. Most people who have brilliant world changing ideas have had hundreds of ideas that just didn’t work. Just keep trying and don’t give up!

      If you see an opportunity that looks interesting in terms of choosing school subjects, or work experience, or jobs, go for it! If you don’t apply for a job you definitely won’t get it, but if you do apply then there is always a chance. I nearly didn’t apply for the job I now have, but I am glad I did because now I can sit here and talk to you!

      The only firm practical bit of advice at this stage is make sure you take Maths at A level if you want to study science at university. Maths is the language of science.

    • Photo: Hugh Harvey

      Hugh Harvey answered on 13 Mar 2015:

      Ask a lot of questions – and if someone tells you something that they say is true make sure they give you evidence for it!

      Also, learn a bit of all the sciences, as they will all come in useful later! I wish I’d had the chance to learn some computer programming when I was younger.

    • Photo: Mariastefania De Vido

      Mariastefania De Vido answered on 15 Mar 2015:

      Hello Timea!

      My advice would be to find a science branch which really interests you (eg Physics, Chemistry, Biology…) and study it hard, delving deep into it. You will find that the more you study, the more you get interested and you will start asking yourself more questions on the things you are learning. Try to find answers, maybe discussing with your teachers or borrowing books from a library.

      Choose also your A levels accordingly.

      Try to get some practical experience in the field you like, if possible (could be laboratory experiences at school or student internships in labs).

      Good luck! 🙂

      Stef

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