In the next five years, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) jobs are projected to grow twice as quickly as jobs in all other fields according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics. While all jobs are expected to grow by 10.4 percent, STEM jobs are expected to increase by 21.4 percent. By this measure, future STEM jobs represent a huge opportunity to today's students. But, in fact, of the 3.8 million ninth graders in the U.S., only 233,000 end up choosing a STEM degree in college, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This means only 6 percent of ninth graders will become STEM graduates. And of these graduates, women will be even more underrepresented in most STEM fields. These are alarming statistics. How do we get more young boys and girls to be interested in STEM-related fields? It isn't an easy task. Schools do not always adequately prepare students for these severe subjects, and college programs are designed to get rid of those who are less persistent. Nationally, only 41 percent of initial STEM majors who begin a degree in STEM-related fields complete their degree in less than six years. In addition, social pressures continue to cast a shadow over girls who might otherwise consider the STEM fields. A couple of years ago, I met amazing parents, both of whom had a background in engineering and hoped their 10-year-old daughter would follow in their footsteps. They encouraged her to take an after-school science / robotics program. When she got there, she found she was outnumbered 6:1 by boys in the class. As the only girl, she came home crying much of the time because she was teased and told that geeky girls are not welcome in the boys' club. Ironically, by the time young boys are entering college programs in STEM fields, many complain about the lack of girls. Starting at an early age, even as young as kindergarten, we need to encourage and help the next generation leaders to consider taking up science, computing, math and technology. We also need to realize that for young girls to be inspired to take and stick with this educational path and later career field, they will benefit from the support of the people that surround them: parents, teachers, friends and family members. In the writer's opinion, what should we do now?
Show the students the advantages of STEM jobs. Provide college graduates with more STEM jobs. Encourage more young children to take up STEM. Make people aware of the importance of STEM.