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Asked by anon-320552 on 13 Mar 2022.
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Victoria Fawcett answered on 13 Mar 2022:
As an astronomer/scientist, once we have an exciting result we need to write it up so that we can share our work with other astronomers. However, I really hate writing (and I’m not very good at it) so this is the bit that I struggle with and probably least enjoy…
I know it is important, but I much prefer making graphs and talking about science rather than writing about it. I hope that with experience I will get better at writing and it will become more enjoyable for me 🙂
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Daisy Shearer answered on 14 Mar 2022:
Probably when our equipment breaks which ruins my plans to do experiments which I find frustrating. It happens more often than you’d think! I can often be found with a wrench trying to fix a vacuum pump or something else 😂 But it’s also something that adds to the challenge and my enjoyment of my job as there are always problems that need solving and I love solving problems. Once things are working, it gives me a great feeling.
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Jamie Smith answered on 14 Mar 2022:
Hi! Thanks for your question.
For me it’s repetitive tests – finding out how something works and how to fix it is fun, but if you have a stack of working modules that you’ve already studied and you have to test them to prove that they work, you can spend a lot of time just putting numbers into a form.
It’s a necessary process – otherwise the next person who comes along won’t have any evidence they work and they’ll have to do all the tests again (which is what someone did to me!)
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Lucy Lawrence answered on 14 Mar 2022:
Hey Aleena, This is a really great question! I’ve enjoyed reading the other scientists answers too.
The part of my job that I least enjoy is waiting for people to get back to me!
In my job I get to speak with a lot of really exciting people (like astronauts from NASA!) but often they are in different time zones, so they won’t be based in the UK.
So my excitement for their replies lasts all evening, and although I know the end result of speaking to them will be great, the waiting around to either interview someone or speak with them is perhaps the least favourite part of my job.
But there’s not much you can do because its a time zone! So its just part of the job ❤
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Alistair McShee answered on 15 Mar 2022:
When I first started I tried all the different things my department do, and then basically picked my favourites, so yes there were things I enjoyed less than others, but fortunately other people in my group love those things so we all balance each other out!
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Luke Humphrey answered on 15 Mar 2022:
Hi Aleena, excellent question!
I advise you to always ask this in job interviews. It can be very telling about the company you are considering! (Remember, a job interview is as much a chance for you to learn about the company as it is for them to learn about you).
For me, the part I enjoy the least is probably keeping on top of my emails. I often feel stressed if I have left people without a reply, but I would also much rather get on with my technical work.
Comments
Alin commented on :
writing reports for eyes that will never read them… yes that happens a lot. and writing grant applications… that is boring… and destined to failure from the start.
Luke commented on :
This is a good point. I know a lot of people who have given up on writing reports and focus entirely on presentations because that’s what actually gets seen! Would be good to see more of this, but often a technical report is required even if very few people will ever read it!