Sprint in Salary Race | Further Explore the STEM Majors
According to a BLS analysis, 93 out of 100 STEM jobs paid more than the national average, with petroleum engineers, architectural engineers, computer engineers, and physicists at the top of the list of fields that often offer attractive salary prospects. It is no wonder that more and more families are trying to engage their kids in STEM education. If you are also one of those who are searching for STEM education or degrees and crave more information about it, this blog will help you by breaking it down into 3 parts, showing you the relevant information about STEM majors, and answering the question of whether it is worth majoring in STEM and how to succeed in the course of STEM major studying.
Since STEM combines Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education, a STEM major, undoubtedly, A STEM degree is a degree in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. That is to say, STEM majors encompass a range of interdisciplinary fields. To help you find a better major that suits your child and prepares them well for a better future prospect and lay a good foundation for a future job, we would like to list some Highest Paying STEM Jobs first to help you browse through some sought-after jobs under the STEM major.
1. The Most Sought-after Careers in STEM Major
1.1 Data Scientists in Data Science Major
In fact, a great number of people cannot tell the difference between data scientist and data analyst. Data scientist develops statistical models and uses the scientific method to explain the data and make predictions while data analyst gathers and analyzes data. Data scientists usually have to work with large amounts of data to develop and test hypotheses, make inferences, and analyze things such as trends and patterns. With increasing volumes of big data and the fast development of artificial intelligence, and machine learning technologies, new types of analytics applications are necessarily needed and required. Thus, students in Data Science majors will lay a foundation in those aspects of computer science, statistics, and mathematics that are relevant for analyzing and manipulating voluminous complex data. Students majoring in Data Science will learn computer programming, data analysis, and database systems, and will learn to think critically about the process of understanding data.
1.2 Clinical Informaticist in Health Science Major
Clinical informaticists mainly work with information technology in healthcare. Their goal is to improve the quality of care provided to patients by analyzing information collected by healthcare organizations. In many cases, they begin as nurses within a healthcare system. By watching and understanding clinical workflow, terminology, and medical practices, nurses can put their knowledge towards becoming clinical informatics specialists. Many clinical informatics specialists have diverse backgrounds in fields like health care, data analysis and information technology. The Healthcare Informatics major is a STEM-recognized program that prepares students to be the next generation of healthcare informatics leaders. Students in health information management need to manage medical records, and coding information for reimbursement and research.
1.3 Networker Designer in Computer Science Major
Networking is a career related to the T in STEM, which involves creating and managing networks, computers, security, and servers. The role of a network designer can not be underestimated. Although Studying might be challenging, it is the wave of the future. Networker designers mainly design network constructions for organizations. These network constructions include the likes of communication systems or databases. They work with an organization's management team on proposed network solutions to ensure they meet the needs and requirements of the company. During the design process, their objective is to create a network that fits with established architectural standards for the business, making certain that there is communication between the departments and systems.
1.4 Networker Designer in Computer Science Major
If you gain in-depth medical knowledge, major in Radiologists are medical doctors who specialize in diagnosing and interpreting medical images obtained through various imaging modalities, such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine. They then document and share their findings with referring physicians to suggest possible treatment routes and assess the need for further testing.
1.5 Engineering Physicists in Engineering Major
Physics is widely considered to be a building block for a range of STEM disciplines. Engineering is about the way things work. Physics is about why things work the way they do. Engineering physicists apply the principles and concepts of physics to develop new technologies and solve practical engineering problems. They mainly use scientific and engineering principles to solve problems and develop new processes, products, and technologies.
1.6 Software Developers in Computer Science Major
Software developers are responsible for creating, developing, and managing software programs and are ranked first in the 100 best careers of 2023. It's a field where you can use your skills and abilities to create something useful that will make life easier or better for other people. For a career in software development, you'll need a solid foundation in programming languages. You might consider mastering Java, Python, C++, and Scala. A lot of STEM projects have the same problem-solving analytics skills that can be applied to software development.
2. The Benefits of Majoring in a STEM Field:
1) Rewarding Career Path
According to statistics, STEM-related jobs are expected to increase by nearly 800,000 by 2031. Skilled professionals in STEM fields are in high demand, leading to competitive compensation packages and ample opportunities for career advancement. STEM workers had median wage and salary earnings of about $64,000, higher than the $40,000 earned by those working in non-STEM occupations. Lucrative Earning Potential
2) Higher Job Security
When we choose what STEM major we want to pursue. Beyond the sense of identity it could bring us in the future, job security matters for many reasons. STEM occupations are renowned for their stability. The skills and knowledge acquired through STEM degrees are highly sought after across various industries, ensuring long-term career prospects and a sense of job security. Suppose you have cross-disciplinary jobs, the chances you are being laid off or fired are reduced, which means a higher job security.
3) Wide Range of Job Roles
Once you decide to choose a major in STEM, you will have numerous career options such as Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and other in-demand disciplines. When you have numerous different career opportunities, it enables you to have a wide range of job experience. It will also make you more easily adaptable to any situation in which you are placed.
4) Flexibility and Versatility
STEM disciplines equip graduates with a wide range of skills applicable to diverse industries and job roles. The problem-solving, collaboration skills, logical and analytical thinking, and technical expertise developed through STEM education enable individuals to adapt to different career paths. It will prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century and also make them valuable and needed employees.
5) Strong Job Growth
STEM fields make substantial contributions to job creation and economic growth. With advancing technology, there is an increasing demand for professionals with expertise in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This demand extends beyond traditional STEM industries to sectors like healthcare, finance, and environmental sustainability. STEM careers offer abundant growth opportunities.
6) Contribution to Society and Global
STEM graduates play a crucial role in driving innovation and making positive societal contributions. Their expertise fuels advancements in technology, medicine, renewable energy, and other critical areas, addressing global challenges and enhancing quality of life. It gives learners an in-depth understanding of the world around them and tries to come up with creative solutions to solve these problems.
3. Is It Challenging to Specialize in STEM Major？
When it comes to the difficulty of learning STEM major, people always have such "sink or swim" attitudes as it usually has the most demanding workload. If you ask someone who is adept at writing papers to make a statistics analysis, it is more likely that he or she will end up crying and curling in a corner. Thus, because of the interdisciplinary feature, people usually STEM studies are much more difficult than non-STEM studies. However, the way we make a judge not only depends on objective factor, but also subjective factors—Interest and Hard Working. Interest-based learning is a model for lifelong learning. It's impossible for kids to make it without having an interest or passion in his or her major. Consequently, nothing is difficult if you put your heart into it on the premise that you have chosen the major right for you.
4. The Keys to Succeed in STEM Major
4.1 Develop STEM mindset
Fostering a STEM mindset from an early age empowers your child to think like a scientist and thus develop critical and logical thinking
4.2 Create a STEM learning environment for your kids
Encouraging young children to explore more about STEM subjects and creating an engaging and inspiring environment is extremely important for kids to reach STEM regions. For example, you could provide activities and materials such as STEM Robot crafts and toys that encourage young children to explore cause-and-effect programs.
4.3 Let your Kid Experience Failure
In STEM learning, kids are supposed to meet the problems or challenges that out of the way they plan. If they can accept failure from an early age and know how to respond to that failure, they can also handle failure easily when they are pursuing STEM majors in the future.
4.4 Participate in STEM projects or competition
STEM competitions allow for individual or student teams to solve a specific challenge or problem under the STEM umbrella. The right competition can provide a low-pressure, low-barrier-to-entry opportunity for kids of all ages.
