Question: Do you sometimes regret becoming a scientist and why?

Miriam Hogg answered on 10 Nov 2018:

That’s a hard one, it can be very stressful and unstable as you only have jobs for a few years at a time but I don’t regret it.

Scientists normally follow two routes after a Phd, they can stay in academia and work at universities doing small projects and then moving on (this means a lot of moving about and applying for jobs and money). Or they can go into industry where they work at government labs or for businesses (which gives you a more stable job but you don’t chose your research anymore).

Science actually gives you a lot more options for jobs if you decide not to stay in the area you studied. For example, I am doing my PhD in astrophysics (space physics) but the skills I learn can get me a job in engineering, environment, IT, finance, business (lots of physics student end up starting their own business), medicine (modeling and problem solving is helpful in medical research but I wouldn’t be able to become a doctor), even forensics (specifically industrial forensics as its applying physics). In fact if I don’t stay in academia I plan to use my skills in environment or medicine jobs/research!