Related Career Categories

• Biochemist
• Biologist
• Chemist
• Environmental Scientist
• Forensic Scientist
• Horticulturist
• Medical Scientist
• Meteorologist
• Microbiologist
• Physicist
• Psychologist
• Social Scientist
• Statistician

School and Career Surprises: Tips From People on the Job

School: "The most surprising thing about getting a PhD in the life sciences is the shear volume of degrees awarded for the limited positions available. Only half actually get jobs. You are better off getting a masters degree."

Career: "The most surprising thing about being a research scientist is how few positions are available as a career. If you want to be a perpetual post-doc for slave wages, a PhD is for you."

Best & Worst Things About This Career

"The best part of my career is that the academic research world can be very laid back and relaxed. Many people work on a schedule that suits them best, which means people work late nights and weekends fairly often to complete their necessary experiments. I am able to attend graduate school classes while working. I am lucky in that I am in an environment where everyone is supportive of the fact that I am not staying in research. The worst part of my career is that more often than not, academic researchers are not supportive of those looking to get into other fields. Also, there are just as many labs who are not as laid back and relaxed as that one I am working in. Many people get overworked or burned out too early in their career."

"The best part of the job is the travel. I get to go to a lot of exciting places to do my research and attend conferences, including Antarctica, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Iceland. Another great part is the independence. Nobody tells me what to do each day. I know my responsibilities and can do them however I see fit (as long as my job gets done). The worst part is that it's a lot of work and can be very stressful. I have a lot of responsibilities, and I frequently work long hours and on weekends."

Tips for Succeeding in This Career

"If you know you want to be involved with academic research, you will need to attend graduate school for a Ph.D. Before applying for Ph.D programs, make sure you have full-time experience working in a lab. If you find yourself interested in careers other than benchwork, find a mentor, internship, or boss that is willing to work with you to explore other career options. Find a position with a lab or research group that seems to fit your ideals of what you want out of a job."

"Do well in your science and math courses, so that your grades allow you to get into a college with a strong science program. Apply to small colleges with strong science programs. You will get the attention you need from your professors to learn how to write well, present well, and do research that is not possible at a large university. It is just as important to find out what you don't like as what you do like. Find opportunities to work on various research projects to find out what you really enjoy."