how old where you when you wanted to become a scientist? what made you want to become a scientist?

Question: how old where you when you wanted to become a scientist? what made you want to become a scientist?

Asked by wozjaztim to Andrew, Emma, Marianne on 17 Jun 2010 in Categories: About. This question was also asked by geoff.
- Andrew Maynard answered on 12 Jun 2010:
  
  Hi wozjaztim,
  
  Probably when I was around six or so, although it may have been earlier. I was really into plants and animals as a kid, and used to spend hours roaming across fields and mucking about in ponds and streams. But then I discovered physics, and all that nature stuff went out of the window!
  
  One of the big turning points was when I discovered a book of my Dad’s ‘ “Teach Yourself Atomic Physics” – I spent forever pouring over that book, trying to understand it!
  
  But there were lots of other things on top of this that made me want to become a scientist – one was that I was curious about what made things work; another was that I wasn’t much good at anything else!
- anon answered on 14 Jun 2010:
  
  The first time I thought about being a scientist I was 20 years old and did a degree in biochemistry. The experience almost put me off. As I’ve said in another answer, eventually I was involved in an inspiring project that used science to deliver a useful clinical (hospital-based) result and it reminded me what I liked about science. I was 23 years old then. I concentrated on medicine for a while after that and then I came back to science 3 years ago (aged 28).
  
  I think it’s important not to be put off by one experience of science because there is such unbelievable diversity within the field.
- anon answered on 14 Jun 2010:
  
  Hi wozjaztim!
  
  Probably not until I was about 11 because my Junior School teacher taught us about how we were hurting the planet because of all our activities – a man ahead of his time in 1979!.
  
  My Dad was an Industrial Paint Chemist before he retired and he was always talking to me about science in an interesting way and the TV always seem to have some scientific programme on such as Horizon and Tommorrows World. Being a curious person I was also interested why things worked the way they did eg how did a bee fly and how did flowers grow.
  
  My Biology Teacher in secondary school also made Science fun at school and I think that was the final inspiration to going into a Science career:).
- Marianne Baker answered on 17 Jun 2010:
  
  There wasn’t really one moment when I just said ‘right I want to be a scientist!’ – it was more that I just went through life finding some things interesting, went and studied what I wanted and now I’m doing it as a job/degree!
  
  I think many people end up in their careers like that actually 🙂

Question: how old where you when you wanted to become a scientist? what made you want to become a scientist?

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