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Asked by anon-200274 to Rosemary, Oliver, Leigh, Jordan, Hannah, David on 8 Mar 2019.
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Rosemary Josekutty Thomas answered on 8 Mar 2019:
I think you could start being a real scientist from when you choose to do your PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) a advanced degree after your first and/ second degree at university. It can take a minimum of 3 years to finish in the UK and sometimes longer.
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David Walker-Sünderhauf answered on 9 Mar 2019:
Yes, as Rosemary said studying for a degree at university in England usually takes 3 years, or 4 years in Scotland. Some people do an additional postgraduate degree (like a Master) afterwards which can be 1-2 years, and others do a foundation degree beforehand (which will usually last a year). So on average probably ~4 years until you’re trained up enough to start going into research or other scientific roles. (it definitely doesn’t seem as long in hindsight though for me!)
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Oliver Gordon answered on 10 Mar 2019:
So, you go through full time school until you’re 16 and have GCSEs. You then spend 2 years doing A Levels. You then do a 3/4 year Bachelors/Masters. I did a 4 year Masters called an MSci. You can then go into a science related job and be a scientist in industry. Or you can do a PhD (3-4 years in the UK), and legally become a Doctor (this is what I’m currently doing!). You can then do postdoctoral positions, and eventually become a Professor.
At what point you call yourself a “scientist” is kind of up to you, though! You don’t get a title saying “you are officially a scientist”! I would say it’s when you start to do real research or get a job that uses your scientific skills. That varies from job to job and degree to degree.
I would say I became a scientist in the third/fourth year of my degree. Some people don’t think they are scientists until they finish their PhD. But in general, between the age of 20-25 is when most people in science would call themselves a scientist.
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