• Question: what are some of the benefits of working hard in science if i don't want a career in it?

    Asked by Jahkeysha to Ed, Kerrianne, Nina, Oli, yoyehudi on 4 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Oli Wilson

      Oli Wilson answered on 4 Nov 2017:

      That’s a really good and important question. Science is in so many things around us we sometimes don’t even notice it, so understanding it well can help us in all kinds of ways – even whether people are trying to trick us. Like, if you see an advert that says ‘9 out of 10 people prefer our perfume’ with small print that says the survey was done on 30 people, you might start to ask questions. Is that enough people to make that big a claim? Were those 30 people randomly chosen or were they the researcher’s mates? Was the test they did even fair? All of these questions show you’re thinking scientifically! I also reckon that if you understand something you appreciate it more – science helps us understand the world, so it should help us appreciate what’s all around us too 🙂

    • Photo: Yo Yehudi

      Yo Yehudi answered on 4 Nov 2017:

      Skills you don’t think you’ll ever need again have a way of popping up when you least expect them. I was doubtful that geometry was ever going to be much use to me, but this year I’ve been working on creating a graph that depicts how proteins and small molecules interact with one another. To my surprise, calculating areas and distances between two points suddenly became an important part of my life again!

    • Photo: Kerrianne Harrington

      Kerrianne Harrington answered on 6 Nov 2017:

      I agree with Oli and Yo that it helps you to understand the world, so you are less susceptible to bad science.

      I think hard work is also always recognized, so no matter what career you go to, working hard is always useful!

    • Photo: Ed Bracey

      Ed Bracey answered on 7 Nov 2017:

      It helps you think critically about the world, which can mean you’re less likely to be manipulated by other people!
      Also, learning how to do experiments and using critical thinking to analyse them can be applied throughout life. Every time we try something new, we’re doing a scientific experiment!
      It’s also likely to help you develop data analysis skills, which a lot of employers are interested in.

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