Studying science can be a great experience. For kids who are inquisitive about how the world around them works, and are hungry for answers, choosing to pursue scientific subjects during their education will not only give them those answers, but will provide them with a completely viable career opportunity. What could be better than spending your days pondering the nature of what’s going on around you?
As you continue on through your education, you are required to specialise more. By the time you get to PhD level or beyond, you really do dedicate all of your energy into a very narrow field. Whilst this is an extremely rewarding experience, giving you the opportunity to make a contribution to the fundamental understanding and progression of your chosen field, it is very easy to lose touch with the wonders of science in a broader context.
However, this level of subject specialty isn’t inevitable in a scientific career. If you are someone who enjoys learning about a variety of topics, and embraces learning new skills, then working in publishing might be for you. In only four months at the RSC working as a Publishing Editor, I’ve been exposed to, and learnt a lot about, a wonderfully diverse range of subjects. What’s more, you are given the opportunity to contribute to the progress of science as a whole, which is a very rewarding experience.
One of the best things I've done at the RSC is write for the journal blogs, mainly
Nanoscale. These serve as a great way to interact with the community which RSC Publishing serves, and have allowed me to exercise my expertise.
Philip Howes is a Graduate working in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Science, Education and Industry/Publishing Department. To see if there are any current vacancies go to 'RSC: Latest Vacancies' Blog or subscribe to 'RSC: Latest Vacancies' by Email