• Question: why did you want to be a sintist

    Asked by anon-271009 on 1 Dec 2020. This question was also asked by anon-271465, anon-273076.
    • Photo: Ashleigh Cheyne

      Ashleigh Cheyne answered on 1 Dec 2020:

      I was always really interested in everything when I was a kid, and I mean everything! I was a bit of a nerd in school and loved almost all my classes, and science is all about being curious and asking questions so it just fit with my personality. My school biology teacher was also really great, she made biology seem really fun and interesting and she helped me a lot to get to University.

      When I was studying at University I just really liked solving problems and asking questions (just like you’re doing on this website!), like how do our lungs work, why do some people get a cold that lasts a week and some only lasts a few days, and things like that. I really wanted to understand how our body works and science lets me do that.

    • Photo: Kate Dobson

      Kate Dobson answered on 1 Dec 2020:

      I was always asking questions and wanting to know how “stuff” worked and why it worked the way it did – and I never stopped.

    • Photo: Sarah Smythe

      Sarah Smythe answered on 1 Dec 2020:

      I have always asked why – why is the sky blue? why do we need a heart? why do machines need an engine? why do we have different illness? …

      I have also wanted to know how – how do we cure illnesses? how do we make clothes different colours? how do we make huge machines fly?

      So I went looking for some of my answers – I became a chemist and then a metallurgist (someone who works with metal).

      It also helped that I had amazing science teachers at school and I loved doing practical experiments!

    • Photo: Amy Rattenbury

      Amy Rattenbury answered on 1 Dec 2020:

      I loved finding things out for myself. It wasn’t enough to just know what the answer was, I had to understand why it was the answer so being able to do experiments as we do in science made sense to me. For me know, I love to solve puzzles and mysteries – that’s exactly what my job involves

    • Photo: Sandra Ortega-Martorell

      Sandra Ortega-Martorell answered on 1 Dec 2020:

      I actually didn’t have it as a plan, to be a scientist, so for me one thing led to another and here I am! When I look back, I do see some signs there, always wanting to understand things, etc. I actually feel it’s to do with my bad memory, I can only remember something if I understand it, otherwise my brain will put it away. So I’ve had to work harder and understand things, so that I could remember them! But you know what? If that’s what made me who I am today, then maybe it’s been a good thing for me because I really love my job and having always something to discover 🙂

    • Photo: Hugh Birkmyre

      Hugh Birkmyre answered on 2 Dec 2020:

      I really just became a scientist because I found I had a knack for it! Looking back, I can see I like solving problems, getting to the truth behind things: why is this so? Why did it happen? What makes this work? It’s like reading a murder mystery and working out whodunnit, but the whole world is the mystery.

    • Photo: Rebecca Rae

      Rebecca Rae answered on 2 Dec 2020:

      I didnt know I wanted to be a scientist until I was at university. I knew I enjoyed it at school and so wanted to study it at university. But I didnt know there were so many different jobs you can do to be a scientist until I was at university. I wish I had been able to do Im a scientist at school, its such a cool way to learn about all the different ways you can be a scientist!
      I decided to keep working as a scientist because I loved it and also am very passionate about helping people and the environment, and science is a great way to solve problems that will actually improve peoples everyday lives

    • Photo: Jessica Forsyth

      Jessica Forsyth answered on 4 Dec 2020:

      I think it almost always starts with curiosity. I thought that I wanted to look after animals when I was older, perhaps become a zookeeper. It was only when I was at university where I was exposed to lots of different modules and new ideas that my curiosity for microbiology was really sparked. I had the opportunity to gain experience in a laboratory environment in my third year and found that I was really passionate about trying to help contribute to solving the problem of antibiotic resistance. I know I’ve made the right decision in becoming a scientist when I talk to friends and family about what I do and I get so excited to spread my knowledge and understanding with them. It feels exciting to be discovering new things and to be part of the worldwide scientific community.

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