Some
people are put of even considering a career in science because
of the out-dated stereotypes still attached to scientists as geniuses
with crazy hair and white coats. The seeming complexity of many
scientific theories makes many believe that they could never be
smart enough to be a scientist, but this is nonsense. There are
many different science-based careers and none of them list an
IQ of over 150 as a requirement.
For many science careers, you will need to be pretty good at understanding new ideas and getting good grades at school will help you get into a decent university, although not all science careers require a degree.Automatically presuming you are not clever enough to do science might mean you'll miss out on your dream job. In my experience, most of the supposedly complicated science stuff is suprisingly simple once you know a bit more about it. Its important to not rule out a potential carer until you have found out exactly what it involves.
For would-be research scientists, you're going to need a PhD for nearly all jobs. But doing a PhD is completely different from learning facts for an exam and people who've done brilliantly during 'A' levels and their degree may flounder when it comes to a PhD. On the other hand, some people who've always found education difficult can stand out during their PhD, when thinking for yourself is far more important than knowing text books off by heart. The weird thing about having a PhD is non-scientists automatically thinking you must be really clever, then going to work every day with 100 other PhDs, and realising that they are all the same as everyone else.
