Question: how old aRE how long have you been a scientist

Grant Campbell answered on 11 Mar 2013:

What counts as “being a scientist”? In principle, anybody who undertakes experiments and interprets them in accordance with scientific methods is a scientist, at some level. Equally, anyone who spends money and counts their change is an accountant, at some level, but would not be recognised as a “professional” accountant. And not everybody who can operate a screwdriver is an engineer. Hence we do have systems that recognise professional competence in various areas by awarding “chartered” status, i.e. chartered accountant, chartered engineer. It’s possible to “do” science (and accountancy, and engineering) badly or incompetently, and to come to wrong conclusions and make bad decisions; therefore it is good to have some system for checking and certifying competence.

I have been a chartered scientist since 2005. In my case I obtained my chartered status through the Institute of Food Science and Technology.