• Question: when did you find out you were really good at science

    Asked by scotty77 to Laura, Nicola, Norman, Sandra, Thanasis on 15 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Laura Soul

      Laura Soul answered on 15 Mar 2013:

      I was always quite good at science experiments when I was in school, but you don’t have to be really good at science to do it as a job, you just have to enjoy doing it and then you can learn more about it over time and get better at it. Anyone can do a science job if they want to and are prepared to work hard to learn how to do it.

    • Photo: Sandra Phinbow

      Sandra Phinbow answered on 15 Mar 2013:

      I think probably when I actually started doing the practical stuf fin my work place. You learn how to do a technique correctly, the training is very good. You have to be competant at what you are actually doing, your training book is signed off which means you are safe, competant and can accurately carry out your work. And so in this regard you do need to be good at science, but only terms of what you are carrying out and the background science that goes with it. I can’t remember half the stuff I did at university! I only know what I know for my job and I’m good at that science. Some stuff you only need to be aware of, or have a bit of an idea about and some stuff you need to know well. But it’s all taught to you. So don’t worry if you feel you’re not very good at science at the moment (I only got an F for GCSE science at school – I think I’ve more than made up for that now).

    • Photo: Nicola Wardrop

      Nicola Wardrop answered on 16 Mar 2013:

      Well until I was about 15, I didn’t think I was very clever at all (and neither did my teachers). Then I got some exam results which were much better than expected, so that changed everything and I decided to go to university and study microbiology. But I don’t think I found out that I was really good at science until later than that – perhaps part way through my degree. I was studying things I really enjoyed, so it made it easier to learn and do well…and I really improved! Also, working in science is very different from studying science at school or university – so even if you don’t do that well in exams, you may still be good at science, say laboratory experiments, or fieldwork!

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