Editor’s note: Quentin Kreilmann is manager of The Science Advisory Board, an international community of scientific and medical experts, Washington D.C.
People around the world tend to think of scientists as intellectual introverts with a quirky fixation. A 2002 report by The National Science Foundation commented on this caricature, stating, “The entertainment industry often portrays scientists as unattractive, reclusive, socially inept white men or foreigners working in dull, unglamorous careers.”
Aside from personally knowing a scientist, the media provide us with a majority of our information about who scientists are and what they do. The public’s lack of scientific understanding – combined with sensationalized headlines – has contributed to a distrust of the scientific community, a sentiment exemplified in recent years by the growth of the anti-vaccination movement. Like in any other sector, there is a certain degree of corruption and fraud but a lot of public distrust comes from the fear of the unknown.1
The size of the United States’ science and engineering workforce was recently estimated to be between 4.75 and 6.4 million. In 2006, the World Health Organization estimated that there were about 40 million members of the global health workforce. Requirements for membership to the scientific community – science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – are a secondary education and employment in a field of science. Considering the large number of disciplines and professions, it is fair to question if these individuals share similar professional and personal experiences.
In May 2015, The Science Advisory Board polled 1,478 scientific professionals around the world seeking insight about how they chose their career and how they would advise the next generation of scientists. The results show a diverse community of individuals driven by common goals and ideals.
When we asked our panel about the most important advice they would give to a student wishing to pursue a career in science, only 0.004 percent said “don’t do it” or “avoid science as a career.” If they could do it all over again, 80 percent said that they would choose the same educational path.
Becoming a scientist requires a lot of commitment and we asked respondents about the most important factor that made them want to become scientists. Respondents working in Asia were more driven to pursue science to make a significant impact than their European and North American peers. For most people, it is a choice based on a general (30 percent) or specific interest (20 percent) in science and the desire to make a significant impact on the world (21 percent). Less than 1 percent reported family pressure or financial incentive as the most important factor in choosing to become a scientist.
Most people don’t stumble into science. Over half of the respondents chose to become scientists before enrolling in a college or university (Figure 1).
Over a quarter of the scientists in our panel chose “keep options open and experience lots of different STEM fields” as the most important advice they would give to a student hoping to pursue a career in science. When individuals consider becoming scientists, they should take their time and choose wisely. Once they have picked their field and earned their degree, there’s an 88 percent chance that they will be working in that field 20 years from now. The No. 1 recommendation to a young scientist for landing his or her first full-time job is to get hands-on experience. Almost twice as many respondents recommended professional experience over educational backgrounds and degrees.
Unfortunately, not everyone gets the same opportunities. Joining the scientific community requires a lot of education, which in most cases isn’t cheap. About a quarter of the respondents pointed to socioeconomic status as a barrier to pursuing a career in science. The survey shows that 33 percent of scientists accrue debt while earning their degree. In North America, 46 percent of respondents were in debt because of their science education.
Another barrier to having a career in science is gender. Women, now more than ever before, are pursuing scientific careers but men still largely dominate this sector. The report shows that some women see gender as a barrier to pursuing a career in science whereas men do not. When asked, “Based on your experience, what do you perceive to be the biggest barrier to pursuing a career in STEM?” 15 percent of female respondents selected gender, compared with only 2 percent for their male counterparts.
Meaningful work
Although they are sometimes portrayed as working in dull and unglamorous careers, scientists are highly regarded by others, especially by friends and family. Only 4 percent reported that they do not feel valued for their work. That said, over a third have felt misunderstood or isolated because of their career. This is in large part due to the difficulty they have communicating the nature of their work with others.
Science is a labor of love. The benefits of working in science are reported to be interesting work, independence and flexibility. The biggest drawback is the availability of funding. It is a great sector if you are looking to make an impact in people’s lives. When asked, 72 percent of men and 67 percent of women reported having felt that they made a meaningful difference in the world through their scientific career (Figure 2). When we cut the data, environmental and physical scientists tend to find more meaning in their work than their peers in health care. If they could do it all over again, 85 percent of all respondents said that they would choose the same career path.
By exploring the profile of the modern-day scientist, we have found that curiosity, dedication and purpose are recurring themes in the global scientific community. These people value an interesting and flexible work environment more than their paycheck, although more funds and benefits would be appreciated. Regardless of their field, scientists are respected individuals that do meaningful work for the benefit of others.
The most significant finding of this study is that no matter who they are, where they are or what they do, members of the global scientific community are more alike than we thought. Although there are some interesting demographic differences, scientists are a unified group of diverse individuals. We can assume that globalization has likely had a role in consolidating the scientist’s experience but these results are a reflection of science itself, a universal language that only accepts reproducible results.
1http://www.ascb.org/through-biased-lenses-the-public-perception-of-science-has-changed-but-the-new-view-is-no-better/