Many of the STEM Futures we encourage are very diverse, including jobs like psychologist, software developer, mechanical engineer, actuary, nurse practitioner and mathematician.
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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
These educational disciplines are the foundation of STEM, a loose term used to describe education and careers that directly relate to hard sciences. This type of education, and the careers that follow, are essential to the long-term success of our country. We need STEM experts to enhance medicine, reduce environmental impact, find more efficient ways to manufacture, and develop high-quality facilities.
Even though STEM majors are offered at almost every college in the country, it’s largely believed that America is lacking these skills and falling behind in the hard sciences. Right or wrong, it’s a common argument that we have too many people with philosophy and literature majors and not enough people who can build a bridge, design industrial equipment, or develop energy technology.
While America’s need for more STEM graduates is debatable, one thing is fairly certain: people with STEM degrees are likely to find high-paying, long-term, rewarding careers.
If you are thinking about a STEM major, you owe it to yourself to learn more about the field. You need to understand what STEM is (and what it is not), as well as which majors would be the best for your future.
With the right approach, you can get the right degree and launch a STEM career that enrich your live, make a sizable income, and keep you busy for decades!
STEM is a loose definition of education and related careers that focus on four areas of study: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. By combining and emphasizing these four disciplines, the hope is that students will have a greater chance of achievement and the nation will be able to fill a perceived gap in these areas.
Science
The sciences can cover a wide range of fields, from biology to astronomy to physics. These careers are complex but because of their broad-ranging and diverse topics, science brings in people of all types, from people fascinated by tiny insects to those who want to learn more about the galaxy.
Examples of STEM fields that are heavy with science:
Biomedical engineering
Chemical engineering
Technology
Technology is another broad term. Your coffee maker is a form of technology, as is the smartphone in your purse and the industrial crane in a commercial construction zone.
Examples of STEM careers that are heavy with technology:
Software developer
Database administrator
Data management
Engineering
Although technology and engineering are somewhat synonymous, engineering is often seen as the design and construction of large, complex structures, such as buildings, computer networks, and ships.
STEM fields that are heavy with engineering:
Civil engineer
Industrial engineer
Math
It’s all in the numbers. Math involves calculations from simple to complex that help make predictions and solve problems. While some deal with it more than others, all STEM fields will involve math in some form.
STEM jobs that are heavy with math:
Statistician
Mathematician
What About Healthcare & Medicine?
While it may seem ironic, when people discuss STEM education they generally leave out medical and healthcare degrees. This is not to say that jobs in the healthcare industry don’t involve science, technology, engineering, and math, it’s just that when people discuss STEM, they usually leave out doctors, dentists, physicians, and other healthcare professionals.
There is, of course, a perfectly logical and reasonable argument for including healthcare in STEM discussions. Doctors study anatomy (science), prescribe specific doses of medicine (math), and use advanced robotics (technology and engineering), but there is a general disagreement on whether the health industry should be included.
The argument against healthcare professions as part of STEM really comes down to classification. STEM is a loose definition used to describe careers that deal directly with hard sciences, and healthcare is simply left out to keep the term more specific.
For this reason, we will not be including traditional healthcare positions, such as doctors and nurses, as a part of our list. We will, however, include majors that build things for the medical industry, such as biomedical engineers.
Why is STEM Education So Important?
There is little doubt that America has a huge need for people educated in STEM programs. These are the people who build our infrastructure, create new innovations, and allow us to grow as a nation.
There are various numbers to back up the claim that American needs more STEM degree graduates. According to the U.S. Department of Education, “not enough of our youth have access to quality STEM learning opportunities.” However, STEM jobs make up roughly 5 to 20% of our total job market (the number varies depending on how STEM is defined), making it a significant portion of our overall economy.
A report from Change the Equation, states that there are 3.6 unemployed workers for every available job in the U.S. However, for every single unemployed STEM worker, there are two unfilled jobs. Despite the fact that millions of Americans are unemployed, the manufacturing sector simply cannot fill their staffing needs, due largely to a complete lack of skilled candidates.
Skilled jobs like machinists, operators, and technicians, which require STEM education and training in some form, are going unfilled.
Who is the Ideal Candidate for a STEM Major?
Because STEM subjects are so broad and cover a vast range of studies, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint a specific type of person who will enjoy and thrive in STEM and another type of person that won’t. However, there are a few characteristics and personality traits that may indicate that someone would be successful in a STEM career. They certainly won’t guarantee success, and the lack of these traits isn’t a guarantee for failure, but it will help point you in the right direction.
First of all, people in STEM are often curious. They have an inherent need to understand how things work, from scientific processes to basic machinery. Children who tore apart VCR’s to simply discover how they functioned on the inside often grow up to thrive in STEM jobs.
People in the STEM fields also need to be problem solvers. They shouldn’t want to just tear apart the VCR, they should want to be able to understand how it works, piece it back together, and make adjustments so it operates better than ever. Someone who desires to fix their own vehicle before taking it to an auto shop would be a great candidate for a STEM major.
Creativity is another important characteristic of people in a STEM field. This is closely tied to problem solving, as STEM professionals need to create innovative and creative solutions to complex problems.
STEM Futures
Many of the STEM Futures we encourage are very diverse, including jobs like psychologist, software developer, mechanical engineer, actuary, nurse practitioner and mathematician.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
These educational disciplines are the foundation of STEM, a loose term used to describe education and careers that directly relate to hard sciences. This type of education, and the careers that follow, are essential to the long-term success of our country. We need STEM experts to enhance medicine, reduce environmental impact, find more efficient ways to manufacture, and develop high-quality facilities.
Even though STEM majors are offered at almost every college in the country, it’s largely believed that America is lacking these skills and falling behind in the hard sciences. Right or wrong, it’s a common argument that we have too many people with philosophy and literature majors and not enough people who can build a bridge, design industrial equipment, or develop energy technology.
While America’s need for more STEM graduates is debatable, one thing is fairly certain: people with STEM degrees are likely to find high-paying, long-term, rewarding careers.
If you are thinking about a STEM major, you owe it to yourself to learn more about the field. You need to understand what STEM is (and what it is not), as well as which majors would be the best for your future.
With the right approach, you can get the right degree and launch a STEM career that enrich your live, make a sizable income, and keep you busy for decades!
View online STEM programs:
Science Degrees
Technology Degrees
Engineering Degrees
Math Degrees
What is STEM?
STEM is a loose definition of education and related careers that focus on four areas of study: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. By combining and emphasizing these four disciplines, the hope is that students will have a greater chance of achievement and the nation will be able to fill a perceived gap in these areas.
Science
The sciences can cover a wide range of fields, from biology to astronomy to physics. These careers are complex but because of their broad-ranging and diverse topics, science brings in people of all types, from people fascinated by tiny insects to those who want to learn more about the galaxy.
Examples of STEM fields that are heavy with science:
Technology
Technology is another broad term. Your coffee maker is a form of technology, as is the smartphone in your purse and the industrial crane in a commercial construction zone.
Examples of STEM careers that are heavy with technology:
Engineering
Although technology and engineering are somewhat synonymous, engineering is often seen as the design and construction of large, complex structures, such as buildings, computer networks, and ships.
STEM fields that are heavy with engineering:
Math
It’s all in the numbers. Math involves calculations from simple to complex that help make predictions and solve problems. While some deal with it more than others, all STEM fields will involve math in some form.
STEM jobs that are heavy with math:
What About Healthcare & Medicine?
While it may seem ironic, when people discuss STEM education they generally leave out medical and healthcare degrees. This is not to say that jobs in the healthcare industry don’t involve science, technology, engineering, and math, it’s just that when people discuss STEM, they usually leave out doctors, dentists, physicians, and other healthcare professionals.
There is, of course, a perfectly logical and reasonable argument for including healthcare in STEM discussions. Doctors study anatomy (science), prescribe specific doses of medicine (math), and use advanced robotics (technology and engineering), but there is a general disagreement on whether the health industry should be included.
The argument against healthcare professions as part of STEM really comes down to classification. STEM is a loose definition used to describe careers that deal directly with hard sciences, and healthcare is simply left out to keep the term more specific.
For this reason, we will not be including traditional healthcare positions, such as doctors and nurses, as a part of our list. We will, however, include majors that build things for the medical industry, such as biomedical engineers.
Why is STEM Education So Important?
There is little doubt that America has a huge need for people educated in STEM programs. These are the people who build our infrastructure, create new innovations, and allow us to grow as a nation.
There are various numbers to back up the claim that American needs more STEM degree graduates. According to the U.S. Department of Education, “not enough of our youth have access to quality STEM learning opportunities.” However, STEM jobs make up roughly 5 to 20% of our total job market (the number varies depending on how STEM is defined), making it a significant portion of our overall economy.
A report from Change the Equation, states that there are 3.6 unemployed workers for every available job in the U.S. However, for every single unemployed STEM worker, there are two unfilled jobs. Despite the fact that millions of Americans are unemployed, the manufacturing sector simply cannot fill their staffing needs, due largely to a complete lack of skilled candidates.
Skilled jobs like machinists, operators, and technicians, which require STEM education and training in some form, are going unfilled.
Who is the Ideal Candidate for a STEM Major?
Because STEM subjects are so broad and cover a vast range of studies, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint a specific type of person who will enjoy and thrive in STEM and another type of person that won’t. However, there are a few characteristics and personality traits that may indicate that someone would be successful in a STEM career. They certainly won’t guarantee success, and the lack of these traits isn’t a guarantee for failure, but it will help point you in the right direction.
First of all, people in STEM are often curious. They have an inherent need to understand how things work, from scientific processes to basic machinery. Children who tore apart VCR’s to simply discover how they functioned on the inside often grow up to thrive in STEM jobs.
People in the STEM fields also need to be problem solvers. They shouldn’t want to just tear apart the VCR, they should want to be able to understand how it works, piece it back together, and make adjustments so it operates better than ever. Someone who desires to fix their own vehicle before taking it to an auto shop would be a great candidate for a STEM major.
Creativity is another important characteristic of people in a STEM field. This is closely tied to problem solving, as STEM professionals need to create innovative and creative solutions to complex problems.