Since I’ve been in school, there has been a huge push to go into a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) related field. Examples of careers in STEM are doctors, chemical engineers, economists and graphic designers. The people in these fields are extremely important and who knows where we would be without them. But when and why did this start?
In the early 2000s, several studies showed that US students were behind in STEM fields in comparison to other countries around the globe. The general consensus was that if the US didn’t step it up, we eventually wouldn’t be able to compete with other countries economically.
The STEM movement has been successful in some regards. Around 2015-2016, about 40% of bachelor’s degrees for men and 29% for women were reported to be in STEM fields. Over the years, the STEM movement has changed and branched off. Different organizations are pushing towards including more minorities in STEM, such as Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and Black Girls Code.
The push for STEM was a good thing but it has started to take away from jobs that aren’t STEM-related but are equally important, such as farming.
Recently, the STEM movement has grown into the STEAM movement, which now includes the arts. But one of the things that I hope this country starts to learn is that though being a part of a STEM field is great and will help to industrialize the community, other careers are necessary to keeping the country in a good economic space.
Sources
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/STEM-education/STEM-education
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-stem-wont-make-us-successful/2015/03/26/5f4604f2-d2a5-11e4-ab77-9646eea6a4c7_story.html
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-stem-wont-make-us-successful/2015/03/26/5f4604f2-d2a5-11e4-ab77-9646eea6a4c7_story.html