People in general: Understand basic statistics and risk estimates. Know how to balance a checkbook. Have an open mind and be careful when dealing with "expert

People in general: Understand basic statistics and risk estimates. Know how to balance a checkbook. Have an open mind and be careful when dealing with "experts". Such people are not the same as "knowledgeable people"... Young scientists: I assume this means PhD in a scientific or biomedical field. Those with the latter could go into medical work, which requires empathy and an ability to handle stress. Either of these could go into academic work, which requires luck, a publication record and the ability to secure funding. For those interested in "working", (reasonably) strong computer chops are becoming a necessity. One either works with professional developers, handles the output from such or become professional developers themselves. Appreciating the data that is created, its limitations and how to participate in and run a project (people skills, too) are critical. There's a number of scientific developers reaching retirement, and the codes they maintain and expand need new people or we need new alternatives. Finally, if you're a rock star interested in scientific/biomedical works, get enough background to understand the jargon and nomenclature of these fields. Trust me, dealing with chemists without knowing proper nomenclature makes them think you're an idiot. Yeah, there are translators in the middle but better to not need one. Remember Egan's Rule - the number of failures before the project ignores you is 1.