• Question: what advice would you give to new scientists starting the job?

    Asked by anon-213844 to Robert, Imad, Fern, Christian, carolwallace on 19 Jun 2019.
    • Photo: Fern Johnson

      Fern Johnson answered on 19 Jun 2019:

      You’re probably not long out of university or college and you’re probably really nervous! Impostor syndrome is something that’s really common in science – that’s where you think that you’re not good enough to be doing your job, and that you’ve somehow fooled everyone around you into thinking you’re better than you are. You are good enough, otherwise you wouldn’t have been accepted. It’s ok not to know everything at the start, and don’t be afraid to ask your supervisor if there’s anything you don’t understand – it’s better to be honest at the start than make mistakes further down the line when things are harder to fix. Most of all try to have fun, science is fun after all 🙂

    • Photo: Carol Wallace

      Carol Wallace answered on 19 Jun 2019:

      On a new job, everything is so, so new.
      Don’t be afraid to ask.
      There are no stupid questions, it just means that the process has not been explained properly.
      The oldies in the lab are not afraid of questions whether they ask them or have to answer them – so follow their example and ask.
      I don’t think you ever stop learning, so just accept that you don’t know everything and just ask!

    • Photo: Robert Ives

      Robert Ives answered on 20 Jun 2019:

      Ferns response is spot on. Everyone starts in the same place. As a new scientist, you will find you learn new things at an incredible rate but still feel like you don’t know very much. That’s normal – most people take many years to really understand the work they do and there is no such thing as an expert – even the best scientists in the world know relatively little – they just know more than the rest of us. I would say enjoy your new career, asked questions, take opportunities as they are presented to you and always be honest. If you can, find yourself a person or group of people with whom you can share your experiences and who can help guide you during your early career. These people will be known as your mentors and will help you towards becoming a great scientist. Good luck.

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