• Question: is it a fun or boring careeer do u spent alot of time in your lab ????? :0 x

    Asked by rubberduck to Andrew, Ben, Heather, Louisa on 23 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Ben Still

      Ben Still answered on 23 Jun 2010:

      I enjoy being a scientist. It is never the same day twice. Although as with any job there are some bad days but they are few and far between.

      The experiment I work on is made up of is a massive particle accelerator and two huge particle detectors, the biggest a 40 m high 35 m diameter cylindrical tank of ultra pure water. The two detectors are split apart by 295 km. So it is difficult to say how often I spend in a ‘lab’ as I am not a stereotypical scientist in a white lab coat.

      I visit Japan 4-5 times a year and take shifts where I make sure that the detectors are working correctly. But the majority of the time I work on my computer(s). I develop clever computer programs to recognise patterns in the data we get from the detectors. I am also responsible for processing the massive amounts of data we get on 1000’s of computers all around the world connected together in something called the GRID.

    • Photo: Louisa Chard

      Louisa Chard answered on 23 Jun 2010:

      I think its the best job ever. I’m never bored really as you do different stuff everyday. Some days can be long and a bit depressing when things do’t work, but when they do it is so exciting and rewarding you forget that you were ever fed up. I spend about 3/4 of the day in the lab on a good day. If I’m out of the lab for too long (for example, when I have to write a paper) I get itchy feet and can’t wait to get back into experiments. It’s also a very flexible job, some weeks are long, some short and you have a lot of control over your day as you are the one planning and carrying out the experiments. I couldn’t reccommend it enough as a career.

    • Photo: Heather McKee

      Heather McKee answered on 23 Jun 2010:

      Hi rubberduck! good question! I think this completly depends on how much you enjoy your topic, If you pick something that your passionate about then a lot of it doesnt feel like work. If your interested in creating experiments in the lab then find a topic that will allow you to do this, if your like me and want to be able to help people directly with interventions then thats what you need to do. Lab time really depends on what’s going on with your studies at the time, right now Im doing a lot of experimental studies so im in the lab quite a bit, however you can have many feild based studies too and be out and about-it depends on your research area!
      It really depends on what motivates you, that said there are some boring aspects such as data entry and some de-motivating aspects such as when participant recruitment doesnt go well or when your studies results are a mess. However the best advice I can give is even with your favourite area there will be ups and downs however if follow your interests you won’t feel like your working half the time! Good luck!

    • Photo: Andrew McKinley

      Andrew McKinley answered on 23 Jun 2010:

      It’s definitely a fun career! There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. I would also say that at the moment I’m spending at least 70% of my time in the lab, so yes, I do spend a lot of time there. It’s not bad though, I enjoy the practical side of my work, but I also enjoy the results of analysing the data.

      Being totally honest, the bits that frustrate me are when experiements don’t go as planned – however it is another challenge to resolve, and I enjoy the challenges that are thrown up.

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