People the world over know the United States as the land of opportunity. However, we also have the world’s most competitive job market, making higher education almost essential to becoming a high-wage earner. Additionally, having so many options can make it difficult to decide the best choice for your career path.
One field of study that all young people should consider is STEM, which is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math. These four fields of study offer great promise for high school and higher-education students. In this brief article, we’ll discuss three great reasons to study STEM in 2022.
1. STEM training opens doors to a broad range of opportunities.
Many college consultants encourage high school students who don’t know what to study to try a STEM program or set of courses. Some private schools and magnet public schools base their curricula around STEM, giving their students an immersive experience and preparing them to get into their dream schools. Many incoming college students take STEM courses for a couple of years before choosing from a broad range of related degree programs.
The reason schools at every level are gung ho about STEM is it’s a field of endless opportunities. This revolutionary collage of disciplines can lead to careers in computer science, biotechnology, mathematics, education, engineering, and so much more.
2. STEM jobs are high-paying and in high demand.
Another reason to consider studying STEM is that jobs in this field of interest tend to pay well. Learning how to implement machine learning to enable artificial intelligence to process big data operations, for example, will make you a hot ticket on the job market. STEM exposes students to computer science and many other high-demand career paths.
STEM isn’t so much one discipline—it’s the integration of four: science, technology, engineering, and math. This collage of different but related fields of interest enables students to learn about each field and how they fit together. Students also get the chance to apply the knowledge and skills they learn through hands-on projects, enabling them to see how STEM translates to the real world and various lucrative, in-demand career fields.
3. STEM is shaping the world in which we live.
Possibly the best reason to study STEM is the opportunity to directly and significantly impact our world. Indeed, people in the STEM fields are shaping the world in which we live. They’re behind the latest developments in medicine, tech, and even fields you might not consider, like the finance or entertainment industry. How do you think Netflix and Disney+ know what you’re in the mood to watch before you do? That’s machine learning at work!
As you can see, there are some great reasons for studying STEM in 2022 and beyond. Studying STEM opens up a wide range of opportunities spanning numerous industries. Furthermore, STEM jobs are among the most high-demand and high-paying jobs on the market. And, if you take a look around, it’s easy to see the many ways STEM is shaping the world in which we live. In fact, it’s so critical to our future that many elementary and high schools structure their core curricula around it, and many have STEM-based extracurriculars.
It’s a good idea to begin studying STEM during your high school career, as it could help you earn scholarships during your financial aid and admissions application process. Indeed, many of the nation’s most selective colleges favor college applications from high school students whose extracurricular activities include STEM studies. As you can see, this exciting field of study is a great option for young people in high school and higher education.
