Career in science

Science is the way humans access knowledge. Scientists are people who have chosen a career in which they will pursue the truth. In order to be a scientist, besides passion, one must have a specific characteristic: to be curious. Curiosity is the engine that produces questions, which are answered by science and thus pushes human`s evolution both technologically and intellectually. From here, it is easy to infer that scientists have one of the most important jobs in the market.

But how does a career in science work? What kind of “office” does a scientist have? There is an enormous variety of jobs in science with each sector (physics, chemistry and biology) having many branches, so the questions made previously do not have specific answers. However, each science`s sector will be listed below in order to give the reader a sense of what to expect of each field.

Career in physics related:

Physics is not all about calculations. There are areas ranging from experimental issues to computer science. Nonetheless, it is undeniable the fact that all fields on physics are related to numbers. Furthermore, every kind of engineering fits in the physics group (even though some, like biophysicists, are included in more than one sector). This sector is so broad that you can study Earth’s composition (as a geophysicist) up to the entire universe (as an astronomer, astrophysicist or even a cosmologist).

As usual, each job requires a given degree. For instance, the position of a college physics professor commonly requires a doctorate. Engineers can get jobs accordingly to their qualification but, usually, are not bounded to one specific major. For example, a mechanical engineer can perform certain tasks that are commonly attributed to electrical engineers, or vice-versa. Engineers can also specialize in areas not exclusively linked to their majors, making them able to solve a larger set of issues. The ambient of work for each professional listed is varied. For scholars, classrooms, offices and labs; for engineers, building sites, labs and offices. For astronomers and astrophysicists, research centers.

Career in chemistry related:

Chemistry cannot be simply described as “mix sample A with sample B”. If it wasn’t for chemistry, there would be no fuel, fewer food supplies, worse health conditions and much of our overall science understanding would vanish. There is a huge set of jobs involving chemistry, such as those of the health sector (pharmacists, manufacturing chemist…), researchers, whose objective are to lay on the deep comprehension of how the “small world” behave and to improve biotechnology and even forensic scientists, whose objectives are to provide scientific evidences to catch criminals. Again, the working ambient may vary. But, in general, those who work with chemistry tend to be found in labs.

Career in biology

As the name implies, biology concerns about all studies related to life, from microscopic beings to giant trees and animals. Proper biologists can choose to follow very distinct careers, depending if it is more “lab-based” or field biology (scientists who go straight to nature to research). Agricultural scientists play a fundamental role in society, making yields more productive and thus cheaper. Furthermore, all doctor careers (may it be clinical or surgery) fit in the science of life. The work ambients are extremely diverse. Hospitals, rainforests, the sea, offices and labs are all possibilities for those who choose to follow biology-related jobs.

As human’s knowledge evolves, new disease treatment, medicines, physics theories and overall technologies emerge, so that people involved in those areas tend to travel a lot to conferences and meetings to keep updated in respect to their ever-evolving science.

It is worth mentioning that humans, for the sake of convenience and organization, chose to divide science into the three areas listed above. Science follows unified principles that work with or without humanity.

Anyone has an intrinsic potential to become a scientist, there is no need to be a math expert (given all the career’s opportunities). As quoted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, “kids are born scientists”, given their deep curiosity (observed in phrases such as “why is the sky blue?”). Indeed, scientists do not have the easiest jobs, but for those who make a career out of a passion, there is no such thing as work.