Science and maths - career development

Here we address a range of questions about careers in science and maths, hoping to challenge young people's perceptions of what it means to work in these areas in the twenty-first century

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What does a typical career that uses a science, technology, engineering or maths qualification entail?

There is nothing typical about a career that requires qualifications in these areas because almost all sectors demand some sort of educational background in them.

In fact, education in science and maths creates a pathway to a wide range of interesting and exciting career opportunities. The professions range from Spacecraft Engineer to Gemmologist, (working with gemstones), and from Marine Biologist to Games Developer. Unsurprisingly, each calls for a unique set of skills and interests.

For example, Tom Hart, a Marine Biologist at the Zoological Society of London, researches how penguins are adapting and coping with climate change. His job involves a lot of fieldwork, which means visiting and collecting data from areas such as Antarctica.

Studying science and maths has allowed Tom to get involved in various exciting projects and not everyone gets to say they work with penguins for a living.

Shakila Sathiananthan, who works as a Cosmetics Specialist for L'Oreal, studied chemistry and biology at A-level. She helps market new, high fashion cosmetics and perfumes and it is one of her responsibilities to explain how our products work so that people who buy them understand what they do. There are also one or two welcome perks such as attending product launch parties.

Does a job in the field of science mean wearing a white coat and working in a lab?

Not all Scientists wear white coats and are confined to a lab. Equally not all Engineers wear hard hats and work in factories or development sites. Scientists can be found working on mountains, on space stations, in rainforests, at sea or even underground!

For example, Katie Symons, who is a Structural Engineer, works for a company that is currently involved in the re-development of Anfield Football Stadium, designing the largest theme park in the world in Dubai, and designing a skyscraper in St Petersburg.

In truth, there is an immense scope for travel for a person working in science or maths. As businesses become more global, large firms in particular are setting up bases abroad.