FAQs

'Where's the best place to find out what courses are available in Scotland?'

Check out our Links page. There are loads of sites for finding courses.

'I don't know anyone with a career in Science and I want to know what it's really like. Who can I talk to?'

Have a nose around the Stories section. You'll find some really valuable information there - straight from the horse's mouth. You can also contact Careers Scotland. They have armies of careers advisors all over Scotland on hand to help you make the right decision.

'I haven't got Highers in the right subject to do the course I want to get onto. Help!'

Don't panic! You need to look at access courses. Find out more on the Careers Scotland website.

'I dropped out of school before Highers and now I want to go back to study science. Is there an alternative to a degree course I could take instead?'

Yes, there are a couple of routes you could take. The first is an access course to build your points and then go onto the course of your choice. The second is to go down the HND route. There are different ways to study science, not just degrees. Check out one of the big course search websites, links to which you'll find on the Links page.

'Science is just about working in a lab, isn't it?'

Working in science isn't necessarily going to bear much resemblance to your science lessons so it's always worth asking people who've gone into that career what it's really like. If you don't know anyone, check out the Stories section to hear it directly from people who've done it.

'They'd never take me on a science degree course.'

There are access courses available all over Scotland that can give you a good foundation and help build confidence in your skills before you go on to a degree course. Plus there are different ways to study science, not just degrees.

'Isn't science just for blokes?'

There's no reason why women can't make good scientists. Everyone's heard of Marie Curie and Elizabeth Arden, but there are scores of others you probably haven't heard of like Diane Fossey (who studied mountain gorillas in Zaire) or Rosalind Franklin (one of the team who discovered the DNA double helix structure). There are lots of initiatives to encourage more women to go into science, like WiSE and WiTEC. You'll find lots of information on the Careers Scotland website or make an appointment with a careers advisor.

Still got a question?

If you still haven't found the answer to your questions about science courses or careers, send us an email and we'll find out for you. Good questions will be added to this page.