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Asked by anon-292584 on 5 May 2021.
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Georgia-Ann Carter answered on 23 Apr 2021:
Oh absolutely! Self doubt can be a big part of growing as a scientist. It is hard sometimes when maybe your experiment fails or you receive a research rejection, but knowing that these experiences are what make me a better scientist really help in trying to find the positive when it feels like a negative experience.
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Kip Heath answered on 23 Apr 2021:
Constantly. But a lot of science (or life in general) is about perserverance. I also try not to plan too far ahead. Life and careers can change and you don’t want to focus too hard on one plan so that you resent anything that strays from it.
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Rosie Goodburn answered on 23 Apr 2021:
I have definitely have had ups and downs in my career! If I could give my past self some advice, it would be to not be too hard on myself when I’ve failed at something. Sometimes it can be tempting to compare yourself to others, but you need to remember that you are on your own path, and that may have twists and turns along the way. In the end, the most important thing is that you are at or working towards a life for yourself that makes you happy, and you can change your mind about what that means along the way as you learn more about yourself!
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Steve Briddon answered on 23 Apr 2021:
Yes – absolutely! In fact, I’m not sure my younger self at University was even sure where I was trying to head – and there are lots of options and directions on the way. But science is no different to any other career in this respect. Sometimes you have doubts about where you’re heading when things go wrong or don’t quite work out the way you expect. But you have to learn to have faith in your own ability and keep on going – and be prepared to take new opportunities when they happen!
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Karrie Liu answered on 23 Apr 2021:
100% – I will be surprised if someone say no. For me, doubting is part of thinking, I got so many question in my head, I wonder if that is a good choice of career, I wonder if I can do, I want to know if what exactly I need to do to call myself a scientist.
Then, I realize all of us can do it in our own way, there is no “rule” about it. We are learning how to be a better scientist and also how to work together. it is important to be open, and you will be amazed that you do learn something new everything.
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Michael Capeness answered on 23 Apr 2021:
All the time. I never really set out to be a scientist until I was 17, and then I went to University, and thought that might be it I’ve reached my peak. But then I tried the next thing (a PhD), and then I thought that was going to be it, but there was more to come. If I look back now I would never of thought I would have been where I am now.
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Sian Green answered on 23 Apr 2021:
Yes, applying for PhDs can be a little like applying for jobs and is very competitive. I was rejected from the first few PhDs I applied to and I didn’t know if I would get one, and wasn’t sure if I even still wanted to do one. I took some time away from University to decide what I wanted to do, then applied to another PhD a year later and I got it!
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Lucile Crete answered on 25 Apr 2021:
Absolutely, yes! I have always been determined to do my best to have a job that I would love, but it has not been an easy journey at times!
Competition can be a bit tough, and opportunities hard to get. It is also often quite intimidating to have professors or colleagues that are such amazing scientists, and you can often feel that you’ll never be as good as they are – but it is often wrong! It takes time to manage to avoid comparing yourself to others, and focus on the achievements you made rather than on the difficulties you encountered. But I truly believe that self doubt is something that most scientists experience at some point during their studies or career, but that is something that helps them improve their skills and think about what they want to do to keep moving forward.
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Neil Guthrie answered on 27 Apr 2021:
Yes! I always knew after leaving uni that this is a job I would like to do. However I finished uni when I was 22 and did not get this job until I was 28! So there was a long period of time where I did other things and worked in other jobs.
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Rebecca Reed answered on 29 Apr 2021:
Definitely! I’ve taken a lot of knock backs along the way, but I’m proud that I kept going. I got rejected from medical school (twice), then it took me 3 years to find a research job, so I definitely doubted whether it would ever happen, but the key is to keep going if you’re passionate about something. But I’ve also learned to be flexible and take opportunities when they present themselves – you never know where they could lead!
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