• Question: do you ever get bored being a scientist

    Asked by 454dysb24 to Anna, James, Joe, Leonie, Olivia on 9 Mar 2015. This question was also asked by Ryan.
    • Photo: James Pope

      James Pope answered on 9 Mar 2015:

      Hey 454dysb24

      Interesting question! I don’t think I ever get bored, but I do get frustrated being a scientist. When my experiments with my computer model are not working, and I can’t work out why I get frustrated with my work and can end up doing what feels like nothing for ages.

      It is the hardest part of science in my opinion, but there is a famous quote from Einstein who said that “science was 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration” and he was right on that one! When you get through it and solve your problem it is a great feeling, and I have been known to do a daft happy dance in my chair much to the amusement of my office-mates!

    • Photo: Olivia Lynes

      Olivia Lynes answered on 9 Mar 2015:

      I think bored with the work would be more accurate. It’s the same as any job in that it can get repetitive. But there is always a new challenge and my work changes from week to week so I’m never bored for long.

    • Photo: Anna Ashton

      Anna Ashton answered on 9 Mar 2015:

      Sometimes, when I have to repeat an experiment a lot of times because something isn’t working properly then it can get a little boring. But most of the time I enjoy it!

    • Photo: Leonie Oostwoud Wijdenes

      Leonie Oostwoud Wijdenes answered on 9 Mar 2015:

      Not really, but I’m not so easily bored in general. To me science is always too interesting to get bored. But if I’m running experiments and have to sit still in the dark while participant number 16 is doing my task, it can be difficult to stay awake 😉

    • Photo: Joe Spencer

      Joe Spencer answered on 10 Mar 2015:

      454dysb24,
      Not going to lie. Sometimes work does get boring, well as James said more frustrating, if an experiment doesn’t work or you have to repeat a week long experiment to improve it. That’s annoying and repetitive.
      But in general I have great fun doing experiments and science. And it’s hard to get bored when you can play with High power lasers and cryogenic liquids. If I do get bored of repeating experiments I generally go find one of my friends and we’ll go to gym or do something random and fun.
      I once made my own ice cream using liquid nitrogen. Another time loads of us PhD students made a slip and slide outside the physics building and had a bbq. So there’s so much to do its hard to be bored.

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