• Question: Are science jobs competitive?

    Asked by anon-185007 to William, Rebecca, Martyna, Callum, Alice, Adam on 7 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Adam Berlie

      Adam Berlie answered on 7 Nov 2018:

      It depends on the job. Generally most jobs are competitive, but if you want to stay in academia, whilst getting a postdoctoral position is not massivly competitive, making it to lecturer or other academic positions is extremely competitive and not many people make it to this stage. I think if you went to work in a more industrial setting there are mroe jobs avaliable so there is less competition, but employers still want you to be able to demonstrate a good grasp of your subject!

    • Photo: Rebecca Roddan

      Rebecca Roddan answered on 7 Nov 2018:

      In academia, getting to a really high level (professor or senior lecturer) is really difficult. But I think if you enjoy it and work hard at it, you should be able to get a job you’d like as long as you’re open to different ideas of things to do.

    • Photo: William Glass

      William Glass answered on 8 Nov 2018: last edited 8 Nov 2018 1:18 pm

      They can be, it’s important to be able to adapt and use the skills you’ve gained in one area and perhaps apply them to a slightly different field. As long as you work hard and aren’t afraid of “just applying anyway” it’s not so bad!

    • Photo: Callum McHugh

      Callum McHugh answered on 8 Nov 2018:

      Science jobs can be very competitive. I’ve worked in universities and for companies, I think that universities are probably more competitive. A big part of this job is personally focused where you have to publish research and bring in lots of money in order to be successful. In industry, things are less personally focused where you work in teams to reach a common goal for the business…responsibilities are perhaps shared a little more in industry, although you do still need to perform well as an individual in order to progress in an organisation.

    • Photo: Martyna Pastok

      Martyna Pastok answered on 8 Nov 2018:

      Yes, they are very competitive but all jobs in a way are. Always you need to try to be the best you can whatever you do. This way you can get the best job you can and have more options to choose from.

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