Why Choose a STEM Career?

Did you know that the career choice you make will determine your financial future and overall lifestyle? You may be a perfect fit to pursue an exciting STEM career!

Some of the most in-demand careers are STEM majors . You may have heard about various STEM careers and you may have done your own research as a result.

In this article, we’ll help you learn more about STEM careers, and talk about some of the best majors you may want to consider for the future. Just read on to find out more!

So what exactly is a STEM-based career? Why are they in high demand and what is required when you want to pursue one? The acronym “S.T.E.M.” stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In some cases, the “M” in STEM can represent Medicine.

Experts say that the demand for STEM careers will not only increase drastically the future, but will also help to boost the economy . One reason students are urged to pursue a career in STEM is that their meaningful work will help to touch and improve every area of our lives.

We have already seen a drastic shift in how technology has shaped our world. As a result, the practice of artificial intelligence, robotics, and cyber security have become critically important.

These careers impact our lives quite a bit as you can imagine, but how do they influence our world? Consider the following:

Now, this is a question every student would want to know. Most students pursue a specific career because it would give them a good income. This is not bad at all. If you choose a STEM career that you are passionate about , you’re sure to have a happy life since you’ll earn a great salary while doing what you love .

So, how much do STEM careers pay? Well, this of course depends on the field that you choose to major. On average, the most STEM jobs pay a rough figure of about $65,000 per year . On the contrary, non-STEM majors pay an average yearly salary of $49,500. Keep this in mind!

Out of all the STEM categories, Technology and Engineering tend to have an upper hand when it comes to annual salary . Engineering and Engineering Technology careers pay an average salary of $73,700, about 13% more than the average. Computer and Information Science pay an average salary of $72,600, which is still really great .

On the other hand, physical and biological sciences, mathematics, science technology, and agricultural sciences pay around $50,400 on average. Regardless of the STEM career you pursue, you can be sure of having a higher salary compared to most non-STEM majors . You are also more likely to be working in exciting fields that produce the most innovation in the world.

Keep in mind that it’s not always about the salary, but doing what you actually enjoy. Luckily, there are plenty of careers in the STEM field, so you’re bound to find something you are passionate about.

Just like any other job, STEM careers also require a minimum level of education. Surprisingly, there are some STEM careers that don’t require a college degree. For instance, careers like Manufacturing Technician and welding will need an industry certificate or a 2-year degree.

On the other hand, the top STEM careers will require either a bachelor’s degree or an associate degree. For instance, careers like a dietitian, teacher, personal financial advisor, UX manager, and global marketing manager will need a bachelor’s degree.

However, careers like lab technician, radiologic technologist, registered nurse, dental hygienist, and nuclear technician require an associate degree.

Other than considering the degree of the student, it is also important to mind the student’s personality. This is a deciding factor in why some people will be successful in a STEM career compared to others. Generally, there are no restrictions on who should and who shouldn’t pursue a STEM career.

Nevertheless, it is important that those pursuing a STEM related major possess specific personalities. For instance, STEM students are expected to be curious (having a will to learn) since they should have the urge of comprehending how stuff works . Unless a student is willing to get inside of the inner workings of a system, they wouldn’t understand how things work.

A STEM candidate should also be creative . These majors require people who will bring new ideas, solutions, and be unique with their approaches. If you are creative, you will have a better chance of solving problems . For that reason, STEM candidates / professionals should create, innovative, and invent solutions to complex problems.

Typically STEM education is meant to bridge the gender and ethnic gaps , which are occasionally found in science and math fields. For instance, there have been plans to boost the roles of women and other minorities in STEM based fields.

With STEM, customary gender roles are broken, and it gives way to equality in every possible way . It isn’t just students that will benefit from STEM. Rather, the entire world will enjoy the new innovations that come from STEM careers. The more advanced the technology, the more of the worlds problems we can possibly solve .

The problems STEM based careers can solve include solutions to global warming, food production, sustainable energy, and even colonization of other planets .

Some STEM majors that have a higher demand compared to others. In the 21st Century, STEM fields that are in high demand are scientific and technology based. The modern world depends on technology as we’ve mentioned a number of times in this article, and elsewhere .

Hospitals, governments, newsrooms, homes, and other workplaces depend on technology to communicate and run operations efficiently. That said, here is our STEM careers list for students that want to earn their major in the field.

This career is ideal for those that want to deal with computer hardware. Computer engineering is one of the highest-paying STEM careers in the current world since computers are all around us. You’re likely reading this through a computer/laptop. Even your mobile device is a mini-computer !

Computers come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny computer in your smartwatch to the computer found in a remote-controlled crane.

These engineers are responsible for creating a wide range of computer equipment, and they will test and analyze the hardware that they have developed.

The median salary for computer engineers is around $111,700 .

Today, any brand, company, or organization that wants to reach out to the world via the internet must have an active and appealing website. A web developer can help the brand have a website that functions well, whereas the designer makes it look appealing.

Web developers are responsible for creating websites. When these artists do their jobs well, everything about a site seems to fit together superbly, from the colors and graphics, to the images and special effects (or “animation,” to those in the know), to the navigation.

You’ll need an associate’s degree to be a web developer or designer. A good web developer should be good with HTML, PHP, CSS, and Javascript . A good web designer should have a solid understanding of graphic design. To simplify your choice, a designer handles what you see on the front, and a developer takes care of the code that you don’t see in the back.

“The biggest shift in the industry is mobile technologies,” says Andrew Ruditser, lead technology coordinator at Maxburst Inc., a web development company on Long Island. “We have to make sure our sites don’t just look good on desktops, but also on Androids and iPhones.”

One big misconception is that web design companies use standard web site templates. Legitimate design firms do not, but start first with understanding the clients products/services, target audience and what they want to accomplish. Every customer is different and professional web designer and developers know this and create what the client needs. Not just filling in a template they bought online.

Web designers are often Solo-preneurs, who contract with companies to bring their product message to the web. Many designer prefer being freelancers as it allows them more flexibility to work and live where they want and to choose the projects and clients they want to work for.  The WebProfessionals.org is a great place to get connected into the professional community.

Many web designers have some college, but you do not need to have a four year degree to be highly successful in this high demand career.

This is a competitive field that needs uniqueness and skillfulness. As a web developer / designer, you can expect to earn an average salary of at least $73,760 .

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 8.0 percent employment growth for web developers between 2019 and 2029.

Not all industry certifications are actually industry certifications. Many are simply course completion certificates offered by a school, or a for profit training company. Be sure to make sure that you get a true International Industy-Recognized Certification from a professional association like The Web Professionals Organization.

You can receive or help someone else a achieve a head start in this field by obtaining industry certification , even high school students. Get more information at course information page for Web Development and Design ., Web Animation for Marketing, Web and Mobile App

Computer and information systems managers, or information technology managers, are the guides who help organizations navigate the always-changing labyrinth that is modern technology. These all-important employees deliver short- and long-term visions for the company’s technology needs and goals. Even though most IT managers have the technical chops to execute the various jobs of the workers they supervise, they are more likely to be caught in a meeting room than a server room.

Coordinating technology-related matters with top executives, planning upgrades of existing software or hardware and negotiating with vendors for the service of current products or the purchase of new ones are all common tasks IT managers encounter. IT managers also install and upgrade an organization’s computer system and protect the office network from hackers and malware

You can be sure of making a mean salary of at least $146,360  as an architect.

View the Web Technologies information to learn more about preparing yourself for the future of this field.

Commonly known as cyber security , your job will be to protect companies and organizations from any cyberattack, and find exploits (back-doors). Typically, you will be expected to analyze, plan, and execute preventative security measures to the digital systems of the company/organization.

There are also it support and security companies that are looking for new candidates to help smaller businesses protect themselves.

These professionals are extremely high in demand because cyber-crimes have been on the rise in the recent years. Big companies hit recently include Target, Equifax, and most recently, the popular food chain, Chili’s . You’ll need to have a bachelor’s degree to be an information security analyst.

Can you help to quell cyber crimes taking place more and more in our world? The median salary is around $85,000 or more.

The American Marketing Association defines its trade like this: “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” In addition to the actual marketing work, marketing managers have the added responsibilities of hiring staff and team building; vision casting and strategic planning; and managing budgets and tracking their results. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 6.7 percent employment growth for marketing managers between 2019 and 2029.

The median salary for petroleum engineers is around $136,850 .

Whether you call them Android designers, iOS designers, app designers, or mobile app designers, these professionals play a huge role in today’s world. Mobile application design is a vital STEM field since mobile devices are among the most-used gadgets in the current age. A huge portion of the population has likely used their mobile devices every day for years !

As an app designer, you will work along with user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) designers to apply their design to a mobile device’s interface. Here, you’ll also need to design unique mobile applications of varying uses. Always consider an app that helps solve a specific problem people may be facing.

Mobile app designers can earn an average salary of $65,000 a year.

These professionals are also called 3D printing engineers, and they are also highly demanded. 3D printing engineering is related to civil, electronic, and mechanical engineering. They can also be related to industrial design.

The 3D printing engineers use technology to bring objects and organs to real life. For instance, they can be responsible for designing organs for transplant in the medical industry.

These professionals earn an average salary of around $40,100

Our future world is predicted to be controlled by robots, and understandably so. As mentioned in our unusual STEM careers article , robots will be used in multiple areas, replacing manpower with, well, robot-power. This isn’t a bad thing, or the script from a Hollywood movie, robots can make our lives easier and much more convenient.

For instance, automated welding systems and ATM machines are all robots or Artificial Intelligence equipment. There are robots developed to clean houses, help patients at hospitals, and even serve as personal assistants. Robotics engineering combines math, engineering, science, and some creativity.

As a robotics engineer, your job will be to create robots for use in selected areas. This career demands a master’s degree or Ph.D. in some cases.

You can earn around $94,000 a year after years of experience in the field.

If you’re looking for a way to learn, or easily teach your students about this subject early on, read about our hands on Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Robotics course.

Video games have been on the rise , and they are not only designed for kids and young adults. Big video game companies such as Electonic Arts are reporting record profits. Even popular individual games such as Fortnite are reportedly making over $100,000,000 dollars per month ! No that isn’t a typo!

Video game designers dedicate their time and effort to come up with engaging software programs for video games. They are some of the most sophisticated software you’ll find anywhere.

Gameplay engineers must bring life to the game, which helps gamers to enjoy what they are playing, and want to play it again and again. This field requires gameplay engineers to be both creative and unique in their delivery. They introduce new concepts, and tie it all together by working closely with the development team.

This STEM field requires a bachelor’s degree, as well as some years of related work experience.

The best part of this field is that it is one of the highest-paying STEM jobs . As a gameplay engineer, expect to make over $100,000 a year.

Statisticians are among the most active professionals in today’s world. They will collect information from clients, students, parents, government agencies, or other companies. Furthermore, these professionals will use a dense and complex amount of data to solve problems, analyze trends, and answer specific questions.

Actually, it’s statisticians that approximate the average salary of a specific career. To become a statistician, you will need a D egree in Statistics . This will help to develop your analytical and mathematical skills. If you are still in school, consider specializing and perfecting  your abilities in math topics like calculus, probability, experimental design, and more.

This can leak over into the internet world too, as data and statistics are very important in the every day usage of the internet. Companies will hire SEO and internet marketing specialists to read and interpret data collected from a website. This helps them further optimize the client’s website to help increase website conversions.

As a statistician, you will expect to earn an average salary of at least $81,000 .

Other types of STEM jobs that pay well include Actuarial Science ($97,000) , Database Administration ($87,700) , Computer Programming ($97,530) , and Software Development ($100,700) . You can view some of the courses we have available to prepare you or your students for a career in STEM by viewing our STEM Courses List .

So, what STEM career will you choose to pursue? Do you prefer the technology / computer-based courses, math-related courses, science majors, or you want to go with the art-related courses? Whichever STEM career you choose, do your best to ensure that you make the right choice.

Go for the one that you have a passion for and can find enjoyment in. Remember that a wrong choice can negatively affect your lifestyle, even if it pays a lot of money.

Read More:

Is AI and Robotics a Good Career Choice?

Is Computer Animation A Good Career Choice?