Sciences

Want to get into science? It probably won’t all be crazy bangs, flyaway hair and dancing gleefully around bubbling test tubes. Think less Professor Weeto, more benefiting people’s lives, improving commercial enterprises and developing our knowledge and understanding of people, nature, the world and the universe. Careers in science are genuinely some of the most exciting and interesting out there.

Scientific jobs stretch across so many different fascinating areas. If you thought that the differences between chemistry, physics, biology and maths are complex enough, then you’re in for a shock. Thousands of scientific specialisms exist, from astrophysics and marine biology to zoological sciences and pharmacology.

It’s important to remember that not all scientific work takes place in labs. You could be studying climate change in the Arctic, developing new crops in India or even working from home. So what qualities do you need to have a successful career in science? You need to be logical, ambitious, highly-intelligent and, most importantly, be passionate about your chosen scientific subject.

Research is a big part of every scientific career. A purely research-based scientific career can be explored within an academic institution. Otherwise, you might want to look at research and development focused careers in applied science. 

If you think about the amount of chemical products you use every day, from the humble bar of soap to dishwasher tablets, you’ll see that there are plenty of opportunities for scientists in the manufacturing and production industry. For example, many scientists opt for careers in product and process development. These guys use their expertise to develop efficient processes for the manufacturing of quality products; ranging from foodstuffs to cosmetics.

Of course, there are plenty of other careers available. Strategic and managerial positions within scientific companies involve calling the shots on everything to do with scientific projects, e.g. budgets and timescales. Also, if you’re a bit of charmer, you might want to consider scientific sales (yes, there is such a thing). This involves using your expert scientific knowledge to sell bespoke scientific products to other companies.

As you can see, you don’t have to make a startlingly new discovery to be a big player in the science industry.