Prepare Now for A future In Stem

Summary

It’s hard to imagine a world without advanced technologies; all the result of STEM. Discover some of the top STEM majors, related careers and how to get started while in high school.

Key Points:

• STEM is projected to grow more than any other field.
• The highest-paying college majors are in STEM fields, such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, earth sciences, health sciences, information technology, mathematics, and physics.
• Nearly every business employs STEM-educated workers.
• The best time to start your STEM journey is in high school.
• Explore online courses in STEM that you can take now.

It’s hard to imagine life before digital technology. Ask your parents or grandparents about all the steps they had to take to find information with encyclopedias. Or to drive to an unfamiliar destination with a paper map. Or to paste family photos into an album instead of posting them online. Cell phones, Wi-Fi, social media, apps, AI: none of these advances would be possible without STEM; the study of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Here are some interesting STEM statistics you need to know if you are a high school student yearning to pursue a future career path that employs STEM:

• STEM job growth is projected to be 10.8 percent between 2022 and 2032 — compared to just 2.3 percent for normal jobs.
• STEM workers earn more. The median annual wage for all STEM jobs is $97,980 compared to $44,670 for non STEM jobs.
• Since 1990, the STEM workforce has grown 79 percent, compared to only 34 percent growth in all other industries.
• The highest paying college majors in the U.S. are STEM fields: electrical engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering.
• And 79 percent of U.S. parents want their kids to strive for a STEM-related career.
  

There is never a better time to begin your STEM journey than in middle and high school.

Why is STEM so important to young students like you?

According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, STEM builds learning skills that extend way beyond science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM teaches the art of critical thinking (seeing things from more than one point of view). STEM fosters curiosity, decision-making, entrepreneurship, leadership, and builds the kinds of skills employers look for no matter the field.

According to U.S. News and World Report, here are examples of the top 10 STEM majors, and careers that you can pursue with that major

Astronomy: The study of science that deals with celestial objects. Careers include: 

• Technical writer
• Aeronautical engineer
• Climatologist
• Meteorologist
• Research scientist

Biology: The scientific study of life. Careers include:

• Microbiologist
• Dentist
• Environmental scientist
• Physician assistant
• Epidemiologist
• Chiropractor

Chemistry: studies the chemical elements that make up matter. Careers include: 

• Analytical chemist
• Chemical engineer
• Environmental chemist
• Lecturer 
• Forensic researcher

Computer science: the study of computation, information, automation and computer Language. Careers include:

• Software developer
• Data scientist
• Web/Mobile app developer
• IT project manager
• Systems architect
• AI engineer

Engineering: the science and technology concerned with design, building, and use of engines, machines and structures. Careers include:

• Mechanical engineer
• Environmental engineer
• Biomedical engineer
• Civil engineer
• Cartographer
  

Earth Sciences: branch of science dealing with the physical constitution of the earth and its atmosphere. Careers include:

• Geological and geophysical engineering
• Environmental engineering
• Geosciences
• Oceanography 
• Mining and mineral engineering

Health sciences: the study of health, well being, and medical care for human beings. Careers include:

• Nurse practitioner
• Physician assistant
• Veterinarian
• Nurse anesthetist
• Physical therapist

Information technology: the study or use of systems (computers and telecommunications) for storage, retrieving, and sending information.

• Enterprise architect
• Chief information officer
• IT systems support specialist
• Applications analyst
• Information security systems administrator

Mathematics: the abstract science of number, quantity, and space. Mathematics may be studied in its own right (pure mathematics), or as it is applied to other disciplines such as physics and engineering (applied mathematics).

• Computer programmer
• Auditor 
• Financial analyst
• Operations analyst
• Civil engineer

Physics: the branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy. Physics includes mechanics, heat, light and other radiation, sound, electricity, magnetism, and the structure of atoms.

• Astronomer
• Clinical scientist / medical physics
• Nanotechnologist
• Radiation protection practitioner
• Sound engineer
  

These are just some of the jobs available to STEM graduates. No matter your interest or passion for a subject, you’re bound to find areas where STEM plays a role.

Why is it so important to start your STEM education early?

In light of the fact that the Department of Defense predicts that more than 80 percent of all jobs over the next decade will require STEM skills, it only makes sense that you start your STEM journey before college.

Build your STEM credentials with the help of Prelum

Prelum is your pathway to some of the best universities offering college prep STEM courses.

In fact, we specialize in online college prep programs for teens. 

One partner is Case Western Reserve University who is leading the field with a computer science prep course entitled Computer Science: An Introduction to Digital Technology. The flexible online design enables students to learn at their own pace and features dynamic video content and interactive tools to enliven the content. This course equips you with skills and knowledge of the computer from the inside out. You will:

• Learn the operating systems, hardware components, and language of software.
• Understand how computers share information and how to secure it.
• Study computer history from the emergence of mainframes to microcomputing.
• Learn how to write code for a webpage.
• Delve into cyberattacks and the latest advances in cyber security.
• Consider the broad range of careers in the field.
  

Case Western Reserve University is also where you’ll find an online neuroscience college prep course called Neuroscience and Medicine: Inside the Brain and Nervous System. For those with a passion for the science side of STEM, this course helps you:

• Identify the major structures of the nervous system, from the brain to neurons.
• Delve into neurological disorders such as epilepsy, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.
• Review the processes that drive memory and study diseases like Alzheimer’s. 
• Learn how cells in the brain communicate and how medicine can change behavior.
  

Start your STEM journey today. Think of Prelum as your launchpad!