• Question: is it hard to be a scientist?

    Asked by HermioneBat to Connor, Jillian, Lidunka, Sarah, Steven on 16 Jun 2015. This question was also asked by Orange Juice.
    • Photo: Steven Thomson

      Steven Thomson answered on 16 Jun 2015:

      Sometimes, yes – we can get stuck on a problem for months or even years, but when you solve that problem the feeling of success makes it all worth it.

      And just because science can sometimes be hard doesn’t mean that it isn’t fun – it’s always an incredibly enjoyable challenge, us human beings trying to find out something new about nature. Nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy, and science is no exception. To discover new technologies and new knowledge means we have to solve a lot of difficult problems, but solving those problems is fun and the the new inventions and knowledge scientists create can change the world!

      (Edit: I’ve just noticed the question is tagged with the keyword ‘job’, so I may have misinterpreted your question. If I’ve not properly answered what you were asking, feel free to comment and/or ask again!)

    • Photo: Lidunka Vocadlo

      Lidunka Vocadlo answered on 16 Jun 2015:

      @HermioneBat it can be very hard – but if it was easy there wouldn’t be any personal satisfaction. You have to continually keep trying to understand, and that’s not always very easy. On the plus side it can be very exciting, especially when you finally understand something you didn’t before, or when you discover something new. It is certainly worth the effort.

    • Photo: Sarah Beasley

      Sarah Beasley answered on 16 Jun 2015:

      Some bits of school are hard, some bits of college and university are hard, but you’ll find bits that you’re good at. It’s the same with working, when you find the bit you’re good at it becomes enjoyable and you don’t really notice it’s difficult anymore! Learning new stuff about it might be difficult to do at the time but it’s awesome once you know it.

    • Photo: Jillian Scudder

      Jillian Scudder answered on 23 Jun 2015:

      It can be hard – it depends on what you’re doing, and what your situation is. From a pure research standpoint, it’s hard to sit and figure out what it is that you’re doing wrong, if you’ve hit a wall – and it can be hard to work effectively if you’ve got a bit of a cold and your brain isn’t working properly. The other thing that can be hard (and this is particularly tough on postdocs) is that you often wind up moving across the planet for your next job, and it can be tricky to figure out how the new country works, and how to set yourself up so you can do your work.

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