How to Become a Scientist

How to Become a Scientist?

Before proceeding on details about how to become a Scientist.. First let us explain about the term “Scientist”.

Scientist is a person or individual who is studying and has expert & skilled knowledge of one or more of the natural & physical sciences.

“The term scientist was coined by a theologian philosopher William Whewell”.

Skills Required for Scientist:

• It requires attention, dedication to work and ability to face long working hours.
• A scientist should have an ability to work independently and sometimes with guidance.
• You must have good presentation skills, computing skills, time management, team working skills, etc.

“Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was a famous Indian Scientist & former president of India. He has contributed for the development of missile and nuclear weapons programs of India”.

There are various fields that needed knowledge and application of science. Here we have mentioned some types of scientists in different fields:

• Agronomist – It specializes in crops and soils.
• Botanist – It studies the plants, herbs, etc.
• Geologist – It specializes in the history of earth.
• Microbiologist – Studies the microscopic animals and plants.
• Marine Biologist – It studies ocean animals and plants.

Also Check:

Science Courses after 12th

Courses & Eligibility

What qualifications are needed to be a scientist?

Pursuing courses is the first step to become a scientist. Firstly, choose a specialization in which field you want to become a scientist and pursue courses accordingly.

“If you want to become a scientist at NASA, then you must choose science, technology, engineering and Mathematics centered education”.

You have to study hard to become a scientist. Here we are providing a list of some UG, PG and other courses which you may opt:

Bachelor Courses:

• Bachelor of Science (B.Sc)
• B.Tech in relevant specialization

Master Courses:

• Master of Science (M.Sc)
• Tech or equivalent master degree in relevant field.

“After completing the master degree, you can also apply for doctoral level (Ph.D) courses in the relevant specialization that you have chosen”.

Eligibility Criteria

Am I eligible to apply?

Eligibility is the first point, which you should check before applying for any course. Here we are providing you the basic eligibility and duration of UG and PG programmes:

UG Courses Eligibility:

For admissions into UG courses, you should have completed the 12^th or equivalent examination from any recognized board. Some colleges prefer the minimum percentage criteria for providing admissions. The duration of undergraduate course can be three to four years as per the course opted by students.

PG Courses Eligibility:

To apply for admission to PG courses, you should have obtained a degree in the relevant field from any recognized college or university. The duration of postgraduate course like M.Sc and M.Tech will be two years.

Admission Process

How to get Admission?

In India, admissions will be given to students through the entrance tests which are organized at national, state or university level. Some colleges also offer admissions on the basis of the merit list of the qualifying examination. After getting shortlisted for admissions, some college also conducts group discussion and personal interview rounds for final admissions.

You can appear in various entrance exams as per your preferences. For admissions in Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), you must have qualified the JEE Main and JEE Advanced examination. Here we are providing a list of various entrance tests for admissions:

• JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) Main
• JEE  Advanced
• GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering)
• IISER Aptitude Test

Where to apply for admission?

There are various government and private colleges in the country which offers quality education in various fields. Some top colleges are listed here:

• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi
• National Institute of Technology (NIT’s)
• Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST)
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
• Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER)

Career & Scope

“In result of the increasing popularity and explosive growth has generated lots of job opportunities in the field of research and development”.

Scientists are majorly required in various fields like agriculture, social science, physical science, engineering, technology, space research and many others.

There are plenty of job opportunities are offered to scientists in government as well as private organizations. With a research degree, you can also find jobs in India as well as abroad.

What will be your job profile?

As a scientist you can work in various fields. Some job profiles of scientists in different fields are mentioned here:

• Archaeologists
• Astronomers
• Biologists
• Earth scientists
• Food Scientists
• Military scientists
• Economists
• Communication scientists
• Criminologists
• Neuroscientists
• Agronomists
• Ecologists
• Geologists
• Computer scientists

Employment Areas

In India, there are various organizations which recruit scientists are:

• Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
• Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)
• Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)
• Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)
• Indian Association for Cultivation of Science (IACS)

Salary

After obtaining a research degree, what salary packages are offered to scientists?

In the initial stage, as a scientist in various reputed institutions like IITs and IISc you can easily earn between Rs. 5 lacs to 6 lacs per year.

The salary packages offered to scientist are also depend upon various terms such as academic qualification, working area, work experience, companies & organizations, etc.

“There is no maximum salary limit for scientists, with some good experience in the relevant field, you can earn beyond the limits”.

Books & Study Materials

There are various books are available in the market for scientists. Here we have listed some popular books which are compiled by our experts after analyzing the other study materials:

• Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) by Isaac Newton
• A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
• The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
• Elements: A Visual Exploration by Theodore Gray
• The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins
• The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
• The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard P. Feynman
• The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking

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