The Pale Blue Dot

jtotheizzoe:

I AM SCIENCE

A little while back, I got the following question in my inbox:

I’m 32, and I decided after high school that college wasn’t going anywhere, and so i played in a punk rock band for 12 years, and after a few years of cooling off and accepting my old-ness, i have decided that i would really like to pursue a science and/or science related career. Am I too old already? If not, what are some good options for a late-comer like myself? 

So you’re a late-comer to the game, you didn’t do everything “by the book”, and you want to get into science. What does your path ahead look like?

The same as everyone else’s.

I know that sounds obscenely and insultingly simple, but it’s the truth. That’s also the message of the I Am Science movement, celebrated above in a video from The Story Collider to commemorate their second year anniversary (which features several awesome science folks that I know online!). Everyone in that video took a non-traditional path to the science career they have today, because there is no traditional path. None of them would want it any other way.

They represent the tip of the iceberg. People just like them (and you) can be found on every campus. If you look in the newsrooms, classrooms and offices of the science world, you’ll find them too. In my department we have retired teachers returning for research degrees after the age of 50, we have former artists and musicians who never even graduated college, and we have veterans looking for more education after their military service.

There is no “right way”. There’s a simple set of criteria for pursuing a career in science: Curiosity, focus, the ability to learn, and the desire to try. If you have that, then the standardized tests and applications will be a cinch. You’ll need some experience, which you can get through volunteering in local labs or by working as a research assistant for a short time. You’ll need to practice writing, and reading scientific papers. But you’re never too old to pursue a career in science. You can only be unwilling to try.

Check out the original collection of I Am Science stories and the Story Collider audience submissions for inspiration. There’s more doors open to you than ever before.

Science is a hell of a fun party, and as far as I’m concerned everyone’s invited.