Just for fun, here my top 15 reasons for being a scientist. Add your own reasons in the comments below if you so wish.
1. Not being stuck behind a desk all day every day
2. Conferences… see the world for free
3. Understanding some of the fundamentals of life and the universe
4. Getting paid to do something you can actually enjoy
5. Realising just how little understanding we have of life and the universe
6. Having the freedom to plan & execute your work (If you are a PhD student you may have to wait until you have finished your studies for this one!)
7. People believe what you say (trust me I’m a “doctor”)
8. Not having to wear a suit to work every day (could you imagine that?)
9. Getting paid to think creatively
10. If it doesn’t work, it’s not your fault. Most things don’t work anyway – this is research!
11. Getting paid to think logically and innovate
12. Lab coats – even less need to dress smart for work.
13. You can work in nearly any country in the world that you choose
14. Owning a bunsen burner (or the equivalent gadget for your specialization)
15. Your mother/father/grandmother thinks you are a genius (unless he/she is a scientist too!)
Got any more?… add them below.
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Nick Oswald
Nick is a molecular biologist-turned-publisher. After a PhD in Developmental Biology and an eclectic seven years in biotech he is now Editorial Manager of Neuroendocrinology and the founder and Editor-In-Chief of Bitesize Bio. You are welcome to connect with Nick on LinkedIn
A lab coat? You mean that white thing the PI puts on when reporters come to photograph him swirling pink liquid in a flask?
My favorite is #7. Unfortulately, try as I may, wives and teenage daughters appear to be immune!
Striving and progressing toward, however never achieving, absolute truth
#11 Scaring the pants off IT when you say how many terabytes the lab produces in a year.. and we’ll never throw it away!
#12 Getting to handle biomedical waste up close and personal
#13 Understanding how your hybrid Prius actually works
the only time i ever put on a lab coat nowadays is when i had to do PCR, and they *never* work – not my fault right?
In my lab we are fairly rigorous about lab coats. I didn’t like it at first, but now I love my lab coat.
15 Reasons to Be a Scientist…
I ran across a web page today that gives 15 reasons to be a scientist. I thou……
16. You get paid big bucks! (Depending on your profession, of course…)
16. Getting paid substandard wages while working days and nights while on tenure track, while your buddies drive BMWs and surf in Hawaii… while you wonder why your second wife has left you and why you still don’t have an office with a window???
Oh wait, that was my “inside” voice…
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Addition::
Making friends/dates internationally^^.
Use complicated, state-of-art equipments that general audience wow for.
Spending quiet Saturday afternoon looking into a fancy microscope for your own pet project.
LOVE CONFERENCE!!!!
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I’ve got to say I disagree with #8. I do like to dress nicely, but I hate having my labmates ask me if I have a special meeting or an interview that day.