• Question: How do get so good at your Job? Practice or learning?

    Asked by Tyler. to Lynn, Kevin, Jessica, Jade, Andrew on 15 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Jess Wade

      Jess Wade answered on 15 Jun 2015:

      Everyone’s honest answer will be practise and learning. We all practise our science every day in the lab, and then learn from the results and from other people’s research. I always question everything- whether it is the sky or a painting or a piece of music. I love facts so much that I play a great game with my best friend where we tell each other facts, or make them up, and then have to guess whether it is true or not. We call it fact or schmact. Try learning one cool thing a day to tell your parents- soon you’ll discover the science you really like and what you should study at university.

    • Photo: Lynn Martin

      Lynn Martin answered on 15 Jun 2015:

      Learning never stops. I learn new techniques and love to see whats new in my field of science. You get good at your job by practice but chemistry is always changing and you cannot just rely on what you learnt last year or ten years ago you need to keep finding out new things and thats what I love about my job

    • Photo: Andrew Fensham-Smith

      Andrew Fensham-Smith answered on 15 Jun 2015:

      Just like Jessica said – it’s both! I learned chemistry for six years before even starting my PhD, which is another four on top – which is a lot of of learning! But even then, walking into my lab on the first day, I had no idea what I was doing or my subject area. Then, I learned as much as I could before eventually getting into the lab, and in the lab I practised what I learned by doing reactions and analysing the results. You also learn quicker by doing! That’s why your teachers give you problems sheets – doing those enforces what you’ve learned!

    • Photo: Jade Owen

      Jade Owen answered on 15 Jun 2015:

      Both!
      Learning so you understand why you are doing something and have an idea how to do it, followed by lots of practice so you get really good at doing the task.

    • Photo: Kevin Honeychurch

      Kevin Honeychurch answered on 16 Jun 2015:

      In general you need some qualifications to get a job in science, but I think that experience and actually doing science is the most important.

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