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Asked by fosterj to Jo, Alice JB, Andy, Barbara, James on 14 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by wisely.
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Jo Hulsmans answered on 13 Jun 2011:
Right now I am being paid to do something I like a lot, so I am not complaining. It also depends where you are doing your science: people working for big companies earn more than people working for the government or universities
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Alice Jones Bartoli answered on 14 Jun 2011:
We don’t do badly… it doesn’t start off that great, being a PhD student isn’t really the way to make quick money, but you can do ok. You can also do more than ok – some of my friends went on to have jobs in business (some psychologists work in businesses and law), and they do very well. It is totally possible to good money in a science career, you just have to plan it right.
What’s quite important is that you end up doing a job that you like, my job is great because it doesn’t need me to be in an office from 9-5 every day, I can work to my own hours if I want to, and no-one tells me off 😉
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Andy Norton answered on 14 Jun 2011:
They can do. I know scientists that earn a LOT of money. If you can discover something that companies want, then you could make yourself a mint. Although this doesn’t happen that often, people often do start companies based on what they have discovered as a scientist, and then do very well as a result.
Even if you don’t discover something and make money that way, if you work hard and work your way up in a company or in a university, you can make yourself a healthy salary that you can live very comfortably on. At the beginning (like Jo, I’m doing a PhD), the money might not be great, but some of my friends left Uni with a degree and started in science companies on £32k a year or so. So there are good jobs out there if you work for them.
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Barbara Guinn answered on 14 Jun 2011:
Scientists are generally not well paid considering how much time we spend studying and then working. I think PhD students earn around £15,000 a year, after PhDs around £24,000-36,000, middle managers in between and Professors around £60,000 a year. It’s enough and most people don’t do science for the money – it’s a vocation – something you do because you love it. Most people who are successful scientists work alot more than 37 hours a week! Just like your teachers.
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James Jennings answered on 14 Jun 2011:
From my experience, and looking at the other answers, science can earn you a decent wage!
Take my boss as an example (hope he doesn’t mind me talking about him!) – he has started a “spin-out” company from part of his research. Its in medicine, which is a risky business in terms of getting funding. He is also a professor, and seems to have a normal family life at the same time. I don’t know how he has time for it all! I have no doubt that he has worked very hard to achieve all these things, and also the Mercedes he owns!
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