What field of science are you in and why?

[Sadako]

To those of you who already have a career in science: why did you choose your particular field? I'm having difficulty deciding on a major. The two things that interest me the most are probably the emergence of self-replicators (or the origin of life), and the nature of matter, which I suppose would fall under theoretical physics. The latter seems like it would be difficult to make much progress in, considering that projects like the Superconducting Supercollider are so expensive. Any suggestions?

[ciderminx]

hi, i am a consultant chemist for a maritime company in the uk, (not sure where you're based). I did a straight chemistry course, and did ok considering i am a top class drinker! i now have what i consider to be the best job in the world, i travel about once a month to cargo ships, sail with them and check on residual levels of contaminents in their cargo tanks. In 4 months, ive been through the panama canal, over the equator(MASSIVE PARTY) and gone through the Magellane straights in Chile. The job was advertised on the internet. Doing a broarder based subject is an advantage as more jobs are available to you. When im back in the office i have my own project to work on, so i work to my own deadlines. I suppose what im trying to say is, consider what career you want at the end of it and if the job is easy to get into. I would have loved to do astrophysics, but the chance of me getting a job remotely related to that was non-existent! a broard based course meant i could apply to almost any chemistry job i wanted. Think about the bigger picture and where you want to be in X years time. Hope this helps you.

[Helix]

Well I'm in highschool but I already know my career and am starting it. I am facinated by gentics and microbiology so i am going into the field to biolog- specifically genetic diseases (cancer to be ulta-specific). I didn't choose it, it really chose me. I got interested in cellular biology and from there sort of narrowed my interests.

[Freeman]

The money is in the fields of biochemistry...so go with the origin of life.

[Helix]

Biotechnolgy as well. Drugs are the money mine these days. But I hope most of us aren't in it for the money. I do biology because I love it.

[AzurePhoenix]

Just started a college biology major for zoology, but for years I've known what I want to do, which is to do behavioral research in exotic wildlife, probably for zoo / park applications. Why? Because it's been programmed into my deepest levels of consciousness by extraterrestrial conspiracists, and if I ever try anything else, my brain cells will violently fuse and explode in a thermonuclear blast.

[Hellbender]

sort of biology and conservation. I wanted to be an ichthyologist since I was a kid, but there were a lot of things stopping me, so I went to college for a while as an English major, got sick of that, and found a school with a wildlife management degree and here I am. Is pretty fun so far.

[BobbyJoeCool]

lots of biologists... I was thinking Physics or Chemistry. I never really liked Bio all too much. Maybe it was because I had Creationist teachers teaching Evolution...

[Klaynos]

I'm studying Physics with a specific emphasis on quantum physics and laser technology. I decided to do it because I really enjoy physics and it sounded really interesting. I picked my university because it gives me a 2 year research project instead of the standard 1.

[Morpheus]

Have you tried looking into the future of each science?

Have you thought about the evolution of its field?

 

Do you think that you could learn something that is related to your sciece field of interest, and pick up later to where it has evolved, thus allowing you to add you valued previous information into a greater excellence of evolution, R & D, or completion?

 

Have you thought that while you are learning something else, you could wait until more information is developed allowing you to study multiple times quicker than waiting around researching?

 

Have you ever taken into consideration that all sciences connect?

[swansont]

Have you tried looking into the future of each science?

Have you thought about the evolution of its field?

 

Do you think that you could learn something that is related to your sciece field of interest' date=' and pick up later to where it has evolved, thus allowing you to add you valued previous information into a greater excellence of evolution, R & D, or completion?

 

Have you thought that while you are learning something else, you could wait until more information is developed allowing you to study multiple times quicker than waiting around researching?

 

Have you ever taken into consideration that all sciences connect?[/quote']

 

Do you often answer questions with more questions?

[swansont]

Mine was more a process of elimination - I found I liked physics better than chemistry, biology, or geology. Then, I discovered that atomic physics was more interesting to me than nuclear or solid state. After that it was a matter of finding a project in a field that was interesting, and laser cooling/trapping was it.

[Morpheus]

Do you often answer questions with more questions?

 

What do you think?

[ydoaPs]

i'm doing the nuclear thing. i have always been fascinated with radiation and big booms.

[zyncod]

Molecular cell bio blah blah blah - just like everybody else. Angiogenesis in lymph nodes right now, but that's not a permanent thing.

 

BTW, radiation sucks. I am so glad that the job that I'm working in right now does not require me to work with radiation any longer.

[Mokele]

I'm going to be in herpetology, specifically biomechanics and locomotion, with some interest in applying that to extinct species. Why? While I have always been interested in science in general, to say I have always had an 'interest' in herps (reptiles and amphibians) would be incorrect. "Obession" would be a better term, possibly modified by the word "fanatical". I went into my specific subfield because I originally trained in aerospace engineering (hoping to get money to travel and keep cool herps), and have a strong grasp of math and engineering as a result. I've already hit upon numerous interesting problems, including one that, should I solve it, could be a 'career-maker'.

 

Actually, this is my first post since I got back from fieldwork in Guam on Brown Tree Snake locomotion. I'll post a full report of that later.

 

Mokele

[badchad]

I'm in Pharmacology and Toxicology. I mostly do behavioral work. Our laboratory focuses on psychotropic drugs and hallucinogens. My choice was relatively easy because I find the effects of hallucinogens on the mind intriguing. Also, there were a lot of practical matters considered in my choice. EMployment is one, I hope to find a job with a major pharm. company relatively soon. Also, with being a behavioralist we use in vivo models which require a lot of speculation which allows me some creativity.

 

In a more general sense I like psychotropic drugs because I feel it is a wonderful combination of what many consider "hard science" and a tough of philosophy.

[ecoli]

I'm into microbiology and infectious diseases. I think this one of the most important areas to study, because so many innocent people sucumb to terrible, potentially curable diseases. Also, there's a lot of funding in these areas now. hehe/

 

Right now, I'm doing work on urinary tract infections, and mechanisms that are invovled with the infection process in E. coli

[GradGrrl]

Well, I haven't cemented myself into a particular field yet, but I will most likely spend the rest of my life working on lipids as they relate to reproductive science.

 

I picked it because I was an animal science major in undergrad and we were forced to learn more molecular nutrition and reproduction than is necessary and when I got to grad school I was the only one who knew anything about it. Needless to say the reproductive science dept recruited me and we have a big name lipid guy who likes me, so viola...

 

I'm in the lab....

 

I have a career.

 

I guess the short version of the story is...I fell into it by accident.

[RyanJ]

I'm currently studdying Chemistry, Physics and Biology as well as Maths, I find them all of very high interest but some day hope to be come a chemist but I'll probably keep studdying Biology, Physics and Maths out of pure interest

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[Green]

Environmental Science .It just draws me to it.I wanna get a Phd in it and then do full scale research.Also love it coz it involves all the scienes to a m0derated level chem,phys and bio

[Green]

Also might go indepth chemistry

[RyanJ]

Also might go indepth chemistry

 

 

I love science as a whole but chemistry has always been me favourite I think. I love the maths, I love the experiemnts and I love watching the reults and working out how everything happened - how better to use ones time

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[X-Y]

Hello,

 

I too love science as a whole, i will be starting university in January and on the second year i have to choose which pathway i want to follow out of these:

 

-Biology

-Molecular Biology

-Chemistry

-Biochemical Sciences

-Biomedicine

 

Out of the 5 options i am considering either Biochemical Sciences or Biomedicine, now which of the two i don't know luckly i have a year to make my mind up and do some more research.

 

Regards

[tman]

Being in college right now I have realized that there is no reason to try and declare a major when you start and feel like you have to do that for the rest of your life. I am a junior and I know I want to go into a biology related field, however, I'm not sure which field interests me the most.

I would suggest doing a lot of reading and take a broad selection of classes. This will help you to find things that interest you and identify the things you never want to think about again. Once you get interested in a certain field of study you can pursue it further. Take your time though, you have your whole life to make your descision.

Most importantly, don't get caught up in what career will offer more money, prestige, or advancement opportunities. Theres nothing worse than spending the rest of your life doing something that doesn't make you truly happy.