• Question: Did you get any experience outside of school (internships) to help you later on?

    Asked by 08normanzoe to Andrew, Ash, Gem, Paige, SJ on 28 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Gemma Staite

      Gemma Staite answered on 28 Jun 2012:

      I did some work experience while I was still at school. I went for a week each, to a couple of labs during the school holidays. This helped me because it put me in contact with people in the labs, as well helping me decide it was what I wanted to do.

      I actually got the job I am in now because of this. The job came up for a trainee and the person in charge was someone who I had met on work experience. He told me about the job and I applied.

    • Photo: Andrew Thomas

      Andrew Thomas answered on 28 Jun 2012:

      I did part time jobs when I was at school and University, but nothing to do with Science, really. I do take on students for short placements in the summer vacation who show a real keenness to do research. It also shows them the reality of research since all the experiments in teaching will work and have a known outcome, whereas that’s not always the case in research. It also teaches them to be innovative since we often don’t have exactly the piece of kit they need so they have to improvise and make-do. However, I know a lot of students who go in to research without ever doing internships or work placements.

    • Photo: Paige Brown

      Paige Brown answered on 29 Jun 2012:

      YES!

      I am actually doing an internship right now! I am doing an internship with the public relation and research communications office at my university, Louisiana State University. For this internship I am learning more about mass communication, so that when I finish my PhD I will have lots of experience outside of the classroom! I wrote this story for my university’s website!! http://www.lsu.edu/departments/gold/2012/06/storm_surge_research.shtml

      I also worked in a science laboratory as an undergradute student, which helped me get experience before I did research as a graduate student in biological engineering. You should definitely try to get internships when you can… employers and companies later will look at what internships you had, and this will help you find a job!

    • Photo: SarahJayne Boulton

      SarahJayne Boulton answered on 30 Jun 2012:

      For science – no I didn’t.

      For me I had so many interests and things that I wanted to persue it was more important for me to try things out and refine what I actually wanted to do – otherwise I would have been forever wondering about what could have been.

      My route to where I am now was a route of deduction – I took various courses and jobs to find out if a career path worked for me, if it didn’t feel right – I moved on.

      Fashion was a no go as I couldn’t get away with the attitude and how frivolous the industry was.

      Kitchen work I actually loved – I really did – but you really had to work up from the bottom – peeling tatties and prepping veg – I wanted too much from the job too quickly. I would return to the kitchen if science ended up not working out and would love to own my own restaurant.

      Art is something i still do in my spare time – I have a couple of exhibitions coming up soon, but it’s my hobby, not my job.

      Science I had to learn from someone else and I needed to go to an educational establishment to do that. Once I got into it I loved it. I got the job I do now because a collaborator I worked with over my PhD was impressed with my work.

      So no – no internships here – just lots of jobs and courses!

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