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Asked by anon-258692 on 14 Jul 2020.
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Sebastian Cosgrove answered on 14 Jul 2020:
Hi Jamie. I earn enough to pay my bills. If being mega-rich when you are older is your motivation, I probably wouldn’t recommend being a scientist as a career. Whilst most of us earn a decent living, we are certainly not footballers. What I will say is becoming a scientist has left me rich in experiences, from meeting people from all walks of life and around the world, to being able to travel to interesting places to discuss my science with like-minded people. I feel a lot more satisfied with my life because all these experiences allow me to really enjoy my job. I hope that makes sense!
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Katherine Haxton answered on 14 Jul 2020:
Enough to live comfortably and I agree with Sebastian – science has let me live in Canada for three years to work, and travel quite a bit.
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Will Breeze answered on 14 Jul 2020:
That’s a bit of a personal question. But I understand that being able to pay the bills is a big concern for everyone; especially at the current conditions. If you are concerned about the salary for scientists, it varies a lot depending on what field you go into. Education wise, postgraduate education (PhDs) for most scientists pay you to study (not much) so after a first degree you won’t usually have to take on extra student loans. Plus people with STEM degrees have a very low unemployment rate, and can do other jobs such as finance or teaching.
Job wise, pay varies but is above the national average in nearly all cases. The most lucrative positions are usually related to Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, or High level computer science. But these are hard to get into.
Like Sebastian said, science will pay the bills but wont make you rich. Even the most highly paying positions are filled by people who have a passion for science. It’s a lot of hard work to get to the top of a field, and I wouldn’t recommend going down that path for the money.
TL;DR: Don’t let a fear of being broke quash your plans of becoming a scientist, but give up on ever being able to buy a yacht.
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Aisling Ryan answered on 14 Jul 2020:
Well this really depends on the hours I work in that day! I get paid a set amount each year. So whether I work 4 hours a day or 10 hours a day I will get paid the same amount every month 🙂 Bear in mind the amount I get paid is very small compared to the hours I work, but I am also earning a degree at the same time, so I am lucky to be getting paid and get all of my fees paid for while I work for my degree 🙂 When I was looking into career and job choices I wanted to become trained in a type of job where I can have lots of options. Sometimes you have to work in a job that doesn’t pay a lot of money in order to gain the experience you will need to get a job that earns you more money. At the end of the day sometimes you can just be lucky and get the job you want. But if you are unlucky and have to work a few different jobs in the meantime you want to make sure it’s something you enjoy 🙂
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Alex Ttofi answered on 15 Jul 2020:
I agree with the others – You’ll never get mage rich in science. But what motivates you ? career, happiness, fun at work or just plain old money.
As you will find out – salary is a small part of earnings. You will encounter pensions, share schemes, benefits at work, leave and all sorts of other things.
So you need to look at a whole package.
Have fun at work and get something that you enjoy doing, unless its cash that motivates you -
Andy Kowalski answered on 15 Jul 2020:
I am now retired so whatever I earn is extra on top of my state and private pensions.
If I am doing basic consultancy work its is £85 per hour, it its connected to a package of measures which I offer to do it varies on the cost but most would be £485 over a period of time.
If I am doing Health and Safety work away from home its a minimum of £100 per hour, more if I consider the work to be dangerous so could go up £150-200 per hour and would be based on a Risk Assessment done before.
Hope that helps!
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Kat Hunter answered on 16 Jul 2020:
I did not choose science for the money. I chose it to try contribute to making the world a better place. I knew it would be interesting work and that I would enjoy getting up for everyday and it would give me plenty of skills for life. I earn somewhere between £35-45k a year – I know the company I work for pays a bit higher than other companies so I feel very lucky. I also believe I work hard for it though. The truth is if you work hard and prove yourself you will be rewarded. I have a degree and a PhD so that helps earn a higher wage too. To choose to be a scientist you are aware that you will not become mega-rich or earn as much as those people who work in areas like finance but the wage (once qualified) is usually plenty enough to live comfortably. It’s actually extremely important to understand how to manage your own finances otherwise no matter how much you earn – it will never be enough.
The pay is not always everything – some companies often offer other things such as good pensions, healthcare, sending you on courses and conferences all over the world, and access to facilities such as gyms, money off hotels etc.
Comments
anon-258692 commented on :
it does make sense