• Question: Did you always want to be a scientist?

    Asked by Rentaghost to Usman, Miranda, James, Freya, Daniel on 18 Jun 2015. This question was also asked by leila.
    • Photo: James Gilbert

      James Gilbert answered on 18 Jun 2015:

      Hey Rentaghost, nice to hear from you again!

      No, not really. For most of secondary school i wanted to be a vet actually, but at some point I realised that I liked to be creative and inventive, and as a vet I’d be limited in that area.

      I liked electronics, so I decided I’d study electronic engineering at uni. Engineering is a type of science, but it tends to be focussed on working for commercial companies and industry. That doesn’t do it for me.

      I was lucky enough to get an internship at an observatory in Australia, and suddenly for the first time I discovered the world of scientific instrumentation. It’s perfect for me: it’s science, but engineering also. It’s essentially working on the cutting edge of new technologies. I get to build things, invent things, (break things), and all with the goal of helping to unravel the mysteries of space and the universe!

      Now I know I want to stay in science – and I want to let people know that jobs like mine exist! Becasue I didn’t fully realise this when I was at school.

    • Photo: Usman Bashir

      Usman Bashir answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      As a child I was fascinated by the idea of becoming one – discovering time travel etc.. but it was a far cry from what I eventually decided to do (become a doctor). And later after becoming a doctor, i decided to become a cancer researcher.

      So, I’d say, my idea of what I wanted to become changed a couple of times before I ended up becoming a scientist.

    • Photo: Freya Wilson

      Freya Wilson answered on 19 Jun 2015:

      Whaddup Rentaghost!

      I was always interested in maths and science and technology. But wasn’t sure about being a scientist until I was choosing my A Levels. Before that I was thinking about all sorts of other options. I considered joining the RAF and I thought about being a horse rider! All sorts of career options have passed through my brain! But settled on science at 16.

    • Photo: Miranda Jackson

      Miranda Jackson answered on 22 Jun 2015:

      I was very interested in space and astronomy from when I was very young. I was also always interested in the way things worked. It was only natural that I went into science!

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