• Question: Do you get good pay if you a scientist.

    Asked by Haseeb to anuantony, Duncan, Jayne, Katherine, Sajid on 8 Nov 2017. This question was also asked by 867urak39, Ainee, MDOT, 696urak36.
    • Photo: Duncan McNicholl

      Duncan McNicholl answered on 8 Nov 2017:

      Most scientists I know would say something like “not really” or “I wish”, but the truth is that to work as a scientist you have to do a lot of learning first, and if you’ve learned a lot and spent time at university then you’ll get paid a bit more than if you haven’t, generally. We don’t get paid like footballers, but we get enough to pay rent and eat and go on holiday sometimes, and maybe to buy a nintendo switch if I can save up just a little bit more…

    • Photo: Jayne Ede

      Jayne Ede answered on 9 Nov 2017:

      It depends where you work. In the Government, pay is a little different, as to draw huge salaries from taxpayer money would be unfair. In private companies that make lots of profit however, the company may choose to pay their scientists a lot of money. I would always take arguments about pay with a pinch of salt, though, often they’re cherry-picked examples and besides, it’s just as important to enjoy what you do!

    • Photo: Sajid Javed

      Sajid Javed answered on 13 Nov 2017:

      the pay is reasonable. you wont be mega rich as a scientist but it is enough to have a ok standard of living but it depends on the field you go into. people tend to become scientist because the enjoy it and like the challenge of research and discovering new things. In academic research (university) you tend to have short term grants which are funded by charities or the government and last for 2-3 years but in industry the salaries and benefits are slightly better but your company has have thing that make money.

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