We have been exploring the natural world since we took our first breath, and the process rarely ends. A child will often ask, why does a hard-boiled egg float in salt water? Why is the sky blue? How can we build a Lego mousetrap? If, as an adult, your "inner child" still relentlessly observes these everyday or extraordinary phenomena, then maybe science is a field for you.
Science is such a broad field that it's hard to ... feel stuck. But all professionals of science have one thing in common: Their methodology. They explore the natural world, gather evidence, organize it and then present their findings. Common branches of science include biology, chemistry, psychology, and physics. Together these sciences have helped us understand how the world works and what we can do to develop within it
Most of us first learn about science in school, when we are exposed to simple experiments that demonstrate basic principles. Some of us dissected frogs, while some of us learned how to set fire to water. The professional world of scientific work is a little more sophisticated, but the same kinds of methods are used to turn hypotheses into theories confirmed by observation and measurement.
Do all scientists wear lab coats, or act like "mad scientists?" Hardly. Just as the field is broad, so is the variety of its professionals. One common thread is a meticulous, logical personality combined with excellent quantitative skills, including an aptitude for math. Yet there is also a creative side to science, as innovation depends on original approaches to old issues. A scientist may have to discard dozens of hypotheses before stumbling across a new finding, but the joy of discovery is what drives these professionals to persevere. As Albert Einstein famously postulated, "imagination is more important than knowledge."
A science curriculum at the post-secondary level will focus on the student's chosen field. Students studying everything from astronomy to zoology will be immersed in research, experimentation, and are expected to keep up with the field's latest work. An academic background in the sciences will prepare students for a career in a laboratory, a university, or in any number of public and private sector jobs where innovation is the name of the game.
