• Question: is being a scientist fun?

    Asked by georgie to Gioia, Iain, Jo, Leo, Mariam on 14 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Mariam Orme

      Mariam Orme answered on 12 Jun 2010:

      Yes, it can be extremely good fun! Of course it’s also a lot of hard work, but most of that work is enjoyable. I love the fact that I spend a lot of time DOING things, rather than sitting at a desk working on a computer.

    • Photo: Leo Garcia

      Leo Garcia answered on 12 Jun 2010:

      Science, like any other job, is as enjoyable as you make it. If you get to you know your colleagues and get on with them, and get pleasure from your job, then it is very enjoyable.

      Add to this that being a scientist means you are working towards expanding human knowledge – you are rewriting the textbooks and pushing the boundaries of understanding and, potentially, improving the world beyond recognition. AND you are working in a challenging, important and interesting field, which makes you proud to tell people that “I am a scientist”… Well, what else could you want from a job?

    • Photo: Joanna Watson

      Joanna Watson answered on 13 Jun 2010:

      Most days being a scientist is fun. Like all jobs there are some days that are stressful and some days that are really boring too.

      I just think that I’m really lucky to have a job that I enjoy! When I get up in the morning I actually look forward to going to work 🙂

    • Photo: Iain Moal

      Iain Moal answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Yup. It isn’t fun all the time, but I like learning new things, so I really enjoy it.

    • Photo: Gioia Cherubini

      Gioia Cherubini answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      It is a lot of fun, because you always feel that you are discovering or understanding things that people didn’t know before. At the same time, one of the first (and hardest) thing that you have to learn as a scientist is to accept failure, because experiments often don’t work and don’t give you the result that you wanted. Those moments are not fun, but if you are able to see a failure just as a new challenge, then I think you can be a great scientist and enjoy it a lot!

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