Science

If the media has taught us anything, it’s that all scientists are crazy. They permanently wear lab coats, have outrageously disheveled hair and are rather partial to holding a test tube or two. Their jobs only involve doing bizarre and pointless experiments, like cloning sheep, creating monsters with human emotions, or creating crunchy and chocolaty breakfast cereals.

Yeah, okay, you probably didn’t think that all careers in science are actually like that. However, you might have heard that all scientific careers involve working in silence in laboratories, whilst you inject things into petri dishes, peer through microscopes and check the acidity of various liquids.

Sure, lab work is common in scientific jobs, but these careers are definitely not routine, boring and pointless. And scientists look like normal people.

In fact, these careers are some of the most varied, important and challenging jobs in the world. This sector covers so many fascinating career disciplines, so before you make the decision to get into science, you should firstly discover what it’s really all about.

It’s all about innovation, discovery and research. It’s all about trying things, doing experiments and making exhilarating scientific breakthroughs. It’s all about doing things that nobody else has ever done before. It’s all about improving people’s lives, improving commercial enterprises and developing our knowledge and understanding of people, nature, the world and the universe.

Careers in science are genuinely some of the most exciting, interesting and significant out there. The phrase “the sky’s the limit” doesn’t even apply to careers in science. Much like the universe, careers in scientific research and development are literally limitless; new things can always be discovered and things can always be improved.

Research and development Focus

Research is an integral part of every scientific career. This involves applying the right principles and exploiting one’s curiosity. A purely research-based scientific career can be explored within an academic institution. However, research makes practical applications possible, so research and development-focused careers in applied science are much more popular

Many specializations

Jobs in this sector stretch across so many different fascinating areas. If you thought that the differences between chemistry, physics, biology and maths were complex enough, then you’re in for a shock. Thousands of specialisms exist, from astrophysics and marine biology to zoological sciences and pharmacology.

Earth science or geo-science includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. Some Earth scientists use their knowledge of the Earth to locate and develop energy and mineral resources. Others study the impact of human activity on Earth's environment, and design methods to protect the planet. Some use their knowledge about Earth processes such as volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes to plan communities that will not expose people to these dangerous events.