The Reality Of Having a STEM Degree

This is the reality of having a STEM degree. It's not all rainbows and unicorns. (DF#10) #degreefree #stem #tech #stemeducation

[OneTwentyOver]

Anthony Carnevale, Director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, noted in a Washington Post interview that STEM degrees are becoming “universal degrees.”

He said graduates with STEM degrees pursue jobs in areas such as supply-chain management, quality control and inventory control — all fields that require technical expertise but are not considered STEM jobs.

Many are promoted into management early in their careers, no long qualifying as STEM workers. Jonathan Rothwell, a fellow of the Brookings Institute,  said many STEM majors work in managerial jobs because “that’s the natural outgrowth of success in their field.”



So, STEM graduates are ultra employable because their skills are very transferrable to high paying, crucial industries. Hmm, STEM degrees sound great!

[kwilliams]

Many STEM jobs require a PhD. In particular, biology, chemistry, physics, and math. A BS or MS gets you a technician's job, at best. These are great jumping off degrees for medicine but in themselves are pretty useless degrees.

Engineering is pretty much the opposite. A BS is the ideal entry point. An MS may command a little more money but not enough to justify the time and money spent on the additional year(s). Large employers will often pay for the advanced degrees. Take the freebie, if you really want the advanced degree.

The key is EXPERIENCE. We hire a lot of co-ops. It's great for both sides. The student gains experience, often while earning credits for the work.

The employer may not get a useful employee, right away, but they can train them and, more importantly, get a look at their abilities and work ethic. It's a primary hiring tool.

Both get a look at the other from the inside, as it were. If both are treated right by the other, a job is a slam dunk.

[minkeymagik]

Getting a technical PM, or MIS, or nonsense information systems degree is not STEM. Being a technical implementation specialist is not stem. The people who when out and got their degree in telecom and data analytics. We are all doing just fine.