Studying science in 2025 is like being thrown directly into this amazing universe of powerful tools, innovative ideas, labs, articles, and so much more. Sometimes, you wonder if you will ever feel like you know something because, as a popular phrase states: “The more you learn, the less you know.” Will you ever understand how to actually use Excel? Will you ever not recheck your calculations in the lab for the 45th time? (No) Can you really be sure that there is a point to imaginary numbers…?
So many questions, so few answers. And I am here today to tell you that these questions should never scare you! Life finds a way, and so will you!
Some bone marrow, but maybe not in a tasty way…
While talking recently to my program director, Ilona Faustova, she told me: “We have a very abstract image of what the science field offers us because, in the modern school system, they don’t teach you much about it. So, when I started studying chemistry, I thought I could either become a chemical factory worker or a teacher.” This statement truly resonated with me because I recognized myself in it. Indeed, when I was studying in high school, I knew that I was going to pursue natural sciences, but I never really understood what I would do afterwards. Only after you get into the university, meet professors, and learn about research and the industrial and commercial side of your field can you actually comprehend what you want to do after your studies (and what you signed up for). Of course, it’s scary to make a decision at such a young age about what you want to dedicate your life to.
In that sense, science has some advantages. The field of natural sciences is so enormously vast and diverse that anyone can find something they are passionate about. For example, when I was applying to university, my initial thought was to study chemistry and physics and become a nuclear physics engineer. Who would have known that after two semesters, I would completely change my mind and study genetics and biotechnology?
When talking to people who are a couple of years younger than me about what to study in university, I encounter a lot of fear from who want to pursue science but are very scared that the field is challenging and they will not be able to finish their studies. Well, while this is indeed an academically challenging field, no one is born with the information engraved in their brain (ugh, imagine how cool that would be). We all start from scratch, learn daily and work our way up. All you need is confidence and a bit of crazy scientist energy!
There are thousands of little fruit flies in these boxes, and I do look like a mad scientist.
Here is what our program director Ilona had to say about this: “In real life, there is no such thing as the right answer. So, if there is no right answer, you can never be wrong. It’s okay to make mistakes, to try new things, suggest new hypotheses”. How cool is that? Knowing that even your craziest ideas can one day lead to a groundbreaking discovery? Did you know that the person who first invented PCR (only one of the most essential techniques in modern molecular diagnostics) received a lot of skepticism and no one actually believed him at first? So, you just never know!
Of course, there are also some difficulties in studying science. First, you must be very passionate about what you are doing. You will not get far in science without actual interest and passion for your job. As Ilona told me in the interview: “Science is not just a 9-to-5 job; you spend a lot of time in the lab; it’s one of the biggest parts of your life, and you really can’t do it if you don’t enjoy it. But when you do enjoy it, it’s like having your hobby as your job.” And that is so true! When I first got into the lab in virology, my lab director told me that I had to be ready to spend a substantial amount of time on my lab work. “Viruses don’t care that you have to sleep,” he told me. Sounds a bit harsh, of course, but it’s so accurate. And sometimes your whole phone gallery consists of protocols and microscope images.
A very pretty image of blood.
However, while studying at the university, I realized that scientific work is not limited to being in the lab. Of course, you have to have practical experience to understand your field. Still, there are so many career paths in science – from laboratory researchers and lab directors to forensic scientists in police to pharmaceutical company managers. There is so much you can do that it’s hard to choose sometimes.
In the end, never be afraid of pursuing what you like. You never know where life will lead you, what wonderful people you will meet, and how many great things you will experience. Who knows, maybe you will be the one whose name we will see in textbooks in the future!
Images author’s own.
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