How to Build a Career in Research and Development?
Research and Development (R&D) has become a fundamental unit in many profits and nonprofit organizations. Every part of academic and applied science requires professional research and develop- ment scientists, from pharmaceuticals and physics to defense engineering and biotechnoloy. The people engaged in this field conduct innovative research studies, develop their knowledge and understanding of scientific principles and then develop new-fangled products, ground-breaking processes and other amazing things that will change the world forever.
In order to build up a career in R&D, one needs to keep the following things in mind:
1. Develop Love for Science:
Science subjects should be your favorite, right from high school. Without love for science, your efforts to pursue a career in R&D may end in vain. Reading science journals and watching documentaries is a good way to boost your scientific curiosity. In addition, maths is equally important. Apart from the love for science, one needs to familiarize oneself with the skills that make competent R&D professionals. Skill sets like teamwork to productively collaborate with other scientists or engineers, analytical skills to assess the accuracy of your scientific findings, and outdoor skills.
2. Choose a Specialty:
As R&D is a massive academic field aspirant, wishing to make a mark in this field, should have comprehensive knowledge and training in the related scientific or engineering stream. And for that, a master degree in engineering or science is necessary and in some cases, any other graduate qualification covering the relevant area of research and specialization is usually considered an ideal qualification. It is wise to choose an area of interest as early as possible so that you can embark on pursuing a college education that focuses on your preferred area.
3. Pursue Graduate-Level Education:
In R&D, undergraduate training is not sufficient. You have to pursue your bachelor’s with a master’s degree. If an aspirant wants to pursue Ph.D. after finishing grad school, it is advisable they take a pause and find employment as a research associate or assistant, as this will give them a chance to put their skills to test, develop report-writing skills, and gain research experience.
A career in R& D is not only rewarding professionally but also regarded as one of the most ideal platforms to design technologies. Research as a profession is for those who desire to transform tomorrow‘s technologies and want to build life-changing technologies. One can grow to be scientist, engineer, biotechnologists, Pharmacist, Physicist Chemists, Biochemist, and many other similar roles.