• Question: I'm considering studying some form of science after I leave school, but I don't really know what to study and what career path to walk along, should I choose Biology or Chemistry? How exactly did you know your career was right for you?

    Asked by t3xtingmad to Hitesh, Nik, Tiffany on 21 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Tiffany Taylor

      Tiffany Taylor answered on 21 Jun 2012:

      I knew I really liked animals, and I was really interested in learning how they worked. But I also liked the other sciences in school, and I took biology, maths and chemistry up until I was 18 (I kind of wish I’d taken physics too). But the most important thing is to do what you love, because it’s a lot easier to work hard at something you enjoy, than at something you find boring!

      But what if you love it all I hear you cry??! Well, try and keep things broad for as long as possible, do as many sciences as you can until you find the thing that makes you go WOW!! I knew I loved biology, but it wasn’t until a class at university when I heard someone speak on something called “social evolution” that I realised that’s what I wanted to do. I also aced the exam – because it was easy to study, because I found it so interesting!

    • Photo: Nicola Ibberson

      Nicola Ibberson answered on 22 Jun 2012:

      I would agree with Tiffany, if you are unsure then keep it broad as long as you can. You can even study Biochemistry at uni to combine the two!

      When I first went to uni, I picked general Biology and not something more specific like ‘Zoology’ or ‘Genetics’ cos I wasn’t quite sure which bit of bio I liked best. Most unis will let you specialise in your second or third years if you decide you want to.

      It’s really hard to tell if the career you choose is gonna be right for you. That’s why I think work experience is really important, so that you can get in to a lab and see exactly what day-to-day work entails. I thought I wanted to do forensics for a long time, then I visited their labs and realised the way they work was REALLY not my style. I emailed scientists working in the labs I was nterested in and spoke to them about their day, and what it involved and that was really useful. Be cheeky and ask questions, and ask for work experience or a day visit. 🙂

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