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"I feel like I'm making a useful contribution not only to the company but to the environment," says chemical engineer John Ma of Dow Chemical Canada.

"I am always looking for that sense of discovery, that constant feeling of exploration and the opportunity to be outside in environments that are new and challenging," says Darlene Lim, a biogeologist postdoc at NASA's Ames Research Center.

“There is no doubt that this is a hot area and people are getting hired,” says Chris Eliasmith, director of the Computational Neuroscience Research Group at the University of Waterloo.

"Even if you are not doing science when you are an advisor, you definitely bring your training as a scientist to the table – and this can be of great benefit," says Nancy Kingsbury, Science Advisor at Natural Resources Canada.

"I really enjoy that I get to work with my friends, and also get to illustrate the subjects that I love." - Dino Pulerà, biomedical illustrator.

"While this may not necessarily be the way to get a government job," says Candace Robinson, team leader for the physical, earth sciences, and ecology NSERC fellowship programs, "it is a good way to get experience in government and see if it's something that you like."

In the freelancing business, money only comes in when you have a contract. So it's important to always try and keep many story ideas in the hopper.

"There are tremendous opportunities in Canada right now for young scientists and engineers, but the number could be higher with increased funding." - Alain Berinstain, Director of Planetary Exploration and Space Astronomy, Canadian Space Agency

"You have to tell them that you're ready to do independent research because as a postdoc you're not going to be held by the hand anymore," says Anna Moraitis, NSERC Industrial Research fellow.

"While it is important to go into a subject that you like and are good at, you might have to do something else that gets your foot in the door indirectly," says Sean Shaheen, Senior Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratories

“What most pharma look to me for is my 10 years of experience in pharmacogenomic clinical drug trial design and result interpretation,” says Judes Poirier, director of McGill University’s Centre for Studies in Aging.

In the 15 years since its inception, the HHMI International Research Scholars award has given 74 Canadian researchers nearly $30 million.

“People are creating security problems faster than we can fix them,” says computer science professor David Wagner. “So I think that computer security people are going to be in demand for a while.”

When the funding belt tightens and astronomers have to work on shoestring budgets, resourcefulness and innovation are the order of the day.

"The government of Canada's investment in researchers through the CRC allows them to further their careers and supervise and train the next generation of scientists," says René Durocher, executive director of the Canada Research Chair program.

“In the last 15 years, I had some good intuition that I always made sure I followed up on,” says Pierre Dutilleul, an applied statistician at McGillUniversity.

Sometimes getting ahead in a career means taking chances and does not necessarily involve planning ahead.

"It's easy to find things that work. But to produce them on a large scale and market [them], it's a whole new thing, and it requires a lot more expertise that maybe in-house researchers just don't have," says Hélène Chaisson, Vice-President of Research and Development, Codena.

"...the future is extremely bright for talented young people coming into this field, and it’s only going to get more important as time goes on," says Tim Killeen, Director of NCAR