Science Careers

Science is how we learn about the world around us and the world inside us. Science tells us what makes the solar system go around, what makes atoms form into molecules, what makes clouds form in the sky, and how food digests in the human body. Most of all, science gives us the knowledge we need to make the world a better place by curing disease, improving transportation, and finding ways to see things - like distant galaxies and the insides of craters on the moon - that we never could have seen otherwise. Science careers will let you do all these things and more.

Science is based on the scientific method, where you gather facts, come up with ideas that explain them, and devise tests that will prove your ideas wrong. If you can't prove your idea is wrong, then there's a good chance it's right, and you've added another bit of information to the vast store of knowledge that the human race has been accumulating over thousands of years (though science as we know it today has only been around for about two centuries or so). If you find the idea of discovering new knowledge exciting and think it might be what you want to do with your life, then science careers might be right for you. Search for a great science college.

Let's consider a few:

Astronomer: Astronomers study the universe around us. At one time, they did this through optical telescopes that let them see what was in space using light, but now they use many other types of telescopes, including radio telescopes, X-ray telescopes, and gamma-ray telescopes. They also use information from space probes.
Physicist: Physicists study how matter and energy work. In these science careers, you would analyze matter at the smallest possible level, even smaller than the level of atoms, using devices such as particle accelerators and spectrometers.

Biologists: Biologists study what makes living creatures tick. Molecular biologists analyze the bodies of living creatures, plants, and even smaller organisms on the level of the very atoms that make them up, learning about how the interactions among these tiny particles make life processes possible.

Mathematician: Of all science careers, mathematics has been called the "queen of the sciences" because scientists in all fields use mathematical equations and math problem-solving techniques to understand their subjects. Mathematics is the science of numbers and patterns and the ways in which they fit together and change.

Scientists are needed in a wide variety of industries, from aerospace to pharmaceuticals, while some scientists remain at universities for their entire lives doing pure research. If this sounds like the life you want to live, then science careers may be for you.