• Question: Is science a demanding and difficult profession? On average, how long do you work for per day? Thank you for answering our questions - we really enjoyed it and learnt a lot. :D

    Asked by AmazingLaura to Carolyn, Peter, Richard, Sara, Siana on 10 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by Elsbeth, Nessie26, pops13.
    • Photo: Sara Falcone

      Sara Falcone answered on 10 Nov 2015:

      I usually work 9 hours a day, from Monday to Friday. It does happen more or less often, depending on the time of the year, that I have to stay until late or I have to come to work on weekends.
      I don’t know if it is demanding or difficult, you surely need a lot of patience because experiment often fail and you have to figure out why.

    • Photo: Carolyn Nielsen

      Carolyn Nielsen answered on 10 Nov 2015:

      Glad you are enjoying asking questions!

      I think doing research is demanding, but in a good way! And it’s also really important to remember that if you like science, there are lots of jobs you can do with science degrees that don’t involve doing lab research. My friends from university (I studied Biology) have gone into a really wide range of careers. Some of these aren’t related to science anymore (there is a lawyer and a few working in banks!), but their science degrees were a really good way of showing future employers that they’re smart and have good problem-solving skills.

      In terms of work hours, I’m currently a PhD student so I have a very flexible timetable. As long as I get work done, my supervisor doesn’t mind when/ where I do it. Definitely one of the perks! I work best in our office though, so I tend to do 9:30/10am – 6:30/7pm most days. It varies though- I generally leave when I get to a good stopping point.

    • Photo: Peter Francis

      Peter Francis answered on 10 Nov 2015:

      I try my best to work between 9 – 5pm. Although I am answering this question at 20:34 :-D. It is definitely intellectually challenging and demanding but this is what makes work very interesting every week. No two weeks are the same which means you never get bored like you might in other jobs. Science is a very rewarding profession as you get to understand how things are compared to how many people might think they are. I work in applied science which I am lucky enough to use science to help people improve performance, lose weight or recovery from injury.

    • Photo: Richard Unwin

      Richard Unwin answered on 11 Nov 2015:

      It is demanding and difficult but it’s also very enjoyable and rewarding so I wouldn’t see those as a negative. More like it’s a challenge. Most days I work 8am until 4pm-ish – occasionally I’ll have to do some work in the evening or at a weekend (I once did an experiment where I was in the lab from 7am until 1am the next day, for three days straight, but that’s pretty rare). However as a scientists I find that often you are thinking about problems and ideas and experiments outside of work – some of my best ideas have come in the car when I’m driving or when I’m in the shower!

    • Photo: Siana Jones

      Siana Jones answered on 11 Nov 2015:

      Hi Laura, every week is different in terms of hours worked for me. Usually I see patient from 8am-2pm and then I can do analysis/write-up/have meetings in the afternoon. Sometimes I work weekends, I tend to save the fun projects for the weekends.

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