My Experiences and Advice

I write this from the rather jaundiced personal viewpoint of being a failed research scientist, so I feel well qualifed to comment certainly on the cons of this particular 'career path'. Having graduated top of my class with a first class degree in the hopelessly useless but very interersting subject of zoology, I went on to complete a PhD on - essentially wildlife management - which was funded by a three-year university scholarship. Unfortunately the PhD took me five years to complete - which is not at all unusual in this field, where obtaining data is often strongly dependent on seasonal working. My university fees had been paid by the original ...  Read the complete review

After enjoying myself that bit too much at university, I came out with a 2:2 Pharmacology degree from the University of Bristol. I didn’t want a science-based job straight away – I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to do a proper job at all, or if I would in fact be happier staying on the little island I currently lived on, making and selling my hand-designed jewellery. After six months however, I was incredibly bored, working as a playgroup teacher and earning under 80 quid a week after tax (plus the odd 100 every couple of months from the jewellery). I had seen science articles in newspapers, and read articles from the Vet Record my father left hanging ...  Read the complete review