Julia Derzay
STEM. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It has been said for decades now that those who truly want to succeed will definitely want to go into a STEM major. This argument is always backed up by several pieces of data. The average salary of an entry level computer scientist is about 65,000 dollars, while the average salary of a person with a liberal arts degree is usually only about 40,000 dollars (www.payscale.com). In addition, a common argument is that there is much more demand for a STEM major than a liberal arts degree, as about 107,000 people graduated with a computer science degree in 2017, and the amount of jobs openings for a computer science major is at about 108,000 (New York Times). So it is true that in terms of money, STEM majors seem to have it the best right now, but are all STEM majors equal in promise?
According to the New York Times, about 73 percent of STEM job growth will be through the computer science area, but only 3 percent will go towards physical sciences, and another 3 percent towards life sciences. These physical and life science majors are some of the most integral subjects that are studied in high school such as: biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology. Not only is the job growth declining, but only about 13 percent of the graduates that had a degree in life and physical science have reported that they actually received the job they went to college for.
To make matters worse, in order to get a job that one wants, it is most likely that these science majors will need at least a Master’s degree to get any career with a sustainable salary. Lastly, science research is a career that is reliant heavily upon subsidies from the government or a university to function. However, computer scientists and engineers often do not need this same help. In 2018’s national budget, there was actually an increase in science funding from the government by about 176.8 billion dollars, however, in the next few years, President Trump plans to cut funding further from the EPA, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, NOAA, and the US Geological Survey(www.sciencemag.com). This will further cut the amount of careers that science majors can go into, and will also harm the GDP, as it was projected that research accounted for 145 billion dollars of the real GDP in 2015 (www.smh.com).
Not only are Science majors beginning to fade, but Math Majors as well. In fact, since 2017, many math majors are simply turning to computer science instead, which is a major that needs math, but is not a “math major”. Other than this, math enthusiasts can really only turn to either being an actuary scientist or becoming a math teacher, two extremely different careers. Perhaps the praise that many STEM students receive should only be limited in the “T” or “E” areas. So does this make science and math obsolete majors, falling into the same trap that many liberal arts majors have seen in the past decade? No. Of course, it is always important to study what you believe you have the greatest passion in, but it is also reasonable to keep in mind what opportunities await you once college ends. Knowing your path and planning around certain obstacles is imperative to success.
Works Cited
Deep in the guts of what makes up the GDP. “Technology Helped America's Economy Way More than We Thought.” CNNMoney, Cable News Network, money.cnn.com/2018/08/03/news/economy/gdp-economic-growth-technology/index.html.
“Do STEM Majors Really Enjoy an Advantage?” The College Solution, 13 Nov. 2013, www.thecollegesolution.com/do-stem-majors-really-enjoy-an-advantage/.
Lohr, Steve. “Where the STEM Jobs Are (and Where They Aren't).” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Nov. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/education/edlife/stem-jobs-industry-careers.html.
Phillips, Nicky, and Gareth Hutchens. “Science Directly Contributes $145b to GDP: Report.” The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 Mar. 2015, www.smh.com.au/technology/science-directly-contributes-145b-to-gdp-report-20150324-1m6m63.html.
Science News StaffMar. 23, 2018, et al. “Trump, Congress Approve Largest U.S. Research Spending Increase in a Decade.” Science, 23 Mar. 2018, www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/updated-us-spending-deal-contains-largest-research-spending-increase-decade.
Writers, Staff. “Math Careers: In Demand Mathematics Career Paths for 2018.” LearnHowToBecome.org, LearnHowToBecome.org, 21 Apr. 2019, www.learnhowtobecome.org/careers-in-mathematics/.
All throughout my childhood, I was told that it would be better to have a STEM major than a liberal arts major-- but in recent times as well as from looking at the evidence you provided, this clearly isn't always the case. Like you said computer science is the dominating STEM major as well as all of the different disciplines of engineering because that is where the jobs are at today. New things are constantly being invented and innovated and the technological era that we live in requires people with the knowledge of computers and programming. When it comes to lucrative careers in the medical field, the STEM majors not encompassing CS and engineering as well are usually studied (although others take a more unrelated route with their undergrad studies before heading off to med school). The 13% of people ending up in careers they went to college for might be attributed to the fact that some people went to college and got a biology major, but graduated and did not become a biologist, but clinical psychologist--or any other related career for that matter. However, with all things in perspective, unless someone is going into a field that requires a specific major and/or experience, one does not need to major in what they see their future career being.
ReplyDeleteI thought your post presented an interesting take on the STEM fields of study, as emphasizing that those fields are distinct from one another in growth is not something I've seen before. I found this especially relatable, as I plan on entering a life science field myself, the data concerning the percentage of graduates who obtain a job in their desired field being so low was especially surprising to me. However, the conclusion at the end seemed incomplete, as you could have better emphasized the opportunities that still exist for those in slower expanding STEM fields. Additionally, an example of how students end up in a job they had not targeted could be a good way to expand on that evidence.
ReplyDeleteThis article was super interesting--particularly the facts that STEM career opportunities are waning, and yet, they are still the major focus in our public education, in addition to math. I feel as though now more than ever it is imperative that people pursue the subjects and careers that they are passionate about, as that love will stay with you throughout your career, rather than picking a career based off of projections, as these are subject to change.
ReplyDeleteWith the costs of college obviously increasing, it is understandable that people want job security--but in an ever-changing job market, with new jobs being created that we can't even imagine yet, pursuing an education and career in an area just because it was at one point secure doesn't guarantee security down the road.
DeleteI like your article on STEM. It has always been hammered in my head that college is only useful if you are doing a STEM field; however, you present some interesting data that shows even in the STEM field there is little and dealing growth. The fact that both math and science careers are beginning to fade is worrying. With all the decreases in employment for so many degrees, it makes you wonder if going to college is worth it unless you are doing something like computer science.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I can't really say what kind of career I'm aiming for when I go to college, I've always been leaning slightly towards the STEM careers. I love programming, and working with computers, (if you saw my blog post, that would be fairly obvious.) and I'm also one of those weird people that takes some enjoyment out of math, and crunching numbers together until I get a correct solution. I'm glad that jobs involving technology has grown, but I don't want rapid growth of these jobs if it means that the other occupations in STEM get the short end of the stick, or in this case, the stem. I think this decline in the other careers of STEM happened because people are trying to pursue their own careers. I don't want to force people to work a job they don't want, but the decline is pretty surprising.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely. In Insight I was working on a project with Johnson Controls on recruiting STEM students. Technology and engineering are fields that are very in demand at Johnson Controls and the students that they are trying to recruit. Our Johnson Controls representative told me about their lack of technological graduates applying and that was a underlying issue of our group project. And If you look at most companies companies there is solemnly a need for science as much as technology, engineering and even math for careers like accounting.
ReplyDeleteI definitely see the pressure for students to go into a STEM field. There has been an idea that getting a STEM degree will ensure job security. While that is true to some extent, there hasn't been a lot of light shed on the fact that the STEM field is becoming increasingly more competitive. Which also brings in the need for rising levels of education. It is also because of this pressure that I feel as if I don't have the opportunity to chose whatever I want to be - something that was constantly preached to me - because of the fear of not having success in the future. I do want to have a degree in the STEM field, however, since it isn't a career in computer science, I am being warned about the incredibly competitive nature of the career path I want to take (one that focuses heavily the "S"). Ironically, I feel as though the romanticism of the STEM field is doing more harm to career paths, both, outside and inside the STEM field.
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was very relateable. As someone planning on going into the psychology field, it's readily apparent that being just a psychologist doesn't pay for the education needed to attain the certification. It seems that majors like psychology and neuroscience are treated as more pre-requisites to the medical field. Computer science, however, seems to be rapidly expanding. Most of the college student I know have taken at least a 101 intro course to computer science and many are perusing it as a major. The demand for CS majors is definitely a reflection of the expansion of technology within the past couple decades.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. I thought that your topic is very applicable to various careers. there is that pressure for students to go into career fields that are not as highly populated. That thought, is always state and often thought of to brings immediate job security, but like you state throughout you article that is not always the case. I wish that throughout the article you would have touched on the flip side. there are some huge benefits going into the STEM field, or going to college with a STEM focus. There are various companies that are in need to STEM, students. Throughout the corse of this semester I have been working with Johnson Controls regarding the lack of STEM students and how to increase the numbers. That being said you do offer another side that is not often looked at, I found the blog very interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting to see the shift in STEM focus to more of a TE focus. Personally, I've never been someone who's done very well in the realm of science and technology. For sciences has been a class I can get by in but don't get excited by it, and I never have really taken a technology class outside the branch of Business (learning Microsoft Office etc.). So when I always hear that STEM is the path to go down if you want to be successful it can be slightly discouraging. However, I am not surprised, that like many jobs the demand comes from the money being put into the field. If there is not the demand for it, there will not be as many opportunities for success.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that some majors are starting to fall off currently due to how today's views about certain subjects are. But I also completely understand why the shift is occurring. It's something that is always being more looked at and wanted within bigger corporations. Those that don't have an interest in this type of field almost get the short end of the stick. It's much harder to find a job outside these types of fields since our world is surrounded around technology. Technology almost runs our world at this point, and those careers revolving around them is more relevant and wanted.
ReplyDeleteI think this was bound to happen eventually, but we need to protect these jobs because they will eventually help us in the future. I also think these science jobs are not at the front of our society because technology is so important.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post because it really relates to what we've done in Insight. I don't know much about STEM, but I know that we had a project group at Insight work on recruiting students that utilize the STEM process. At this point technology almost runs our world and is what keeps our generations innovating to bigger and better things.
ReplyDeleteThis brought a very interesting side to the argument that careers in stem will always be the most profitable and stable. I know that ever since I was little, I've been told to pursue subjects in stem because that's where the future will be most promising. It's interesting to see how the digital changes are affecting the live sciences as well as the related fields such as math and engineering. This really shakes the idea that proficiency in these subjects will lead to stability. Though interesting, it isn't really surprising. For over a decade, I've been told to pursue stem along with my class, and the one before that, and the one before that. Trusting in such a well publicized field has eventually led to a gradually decreasing demand for stem careers.
ReplyDelete