A STEM Working in a non-STEM Job

Fem-STEM 3

Hi Everyone!!

I hope y'all are doing alright. Sorry for posting this so late. I started my rotation after 2 months of being off. Its been a struggle adjusting to waking up early again and having to commute to my rotation. Hopefully, I will be able to churn out the next post ontime. I’m aiming for next weekend. 

Congratulations! You made it! You suffered through 4+ years of university, got your bachelors and you're ready to jump into your field occupation! Well, that was the norm for our parents when they finished college. Now for us (late 80s/early 90s babies), it seems like a bachelors degree doesn't hold as much weight as it used to. Now we have to get a Master’s or a PhD before we can consider starting in our field. But then IT happens…the field you want to go into is either: staying static by not hiring or worse…laying off employees to make the work population smaller. To make matters worse, we have a problem called Sallie Mae. Sallie Mae is greedy and she wants her money which means you need a job! So you find a job, its not in your field but at least your getting paid!

As I was researching this blog’s topic, I knew that there are STEMs at non-STEM jobs but I didn't realize the percentage is quite large! According to the Census Bureau, 74% of individuals with STEM bachelor degrees are not working in STEM jobs! Thats huge!! The Census Bureau has an interactive infographic that you can pick certain categories and see where they match up job wise. For example, I had the infographic on “All STEM Majors” and then moved over the different majors. In the Comp Sci, Math/Stats section, almost everyone went into their major specific field. When I hovered over the Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences, the majority of these majors when into Healthcare, which isn't considered a STEM field, followed by Non-STEM managers, and Education. Are STEMs at a disadvantage when going into a non-STEM field? In my opinion, I don't think so. As I had mentioned in my first post, our world is intimately connected in the STEM and STEM majors help bring about innovation and progress.

According to the Dept. of Commerce, about 66% of the 9.3 million workers with a STEM bachelor’s degree work in a non-STEM job. I’ve inserted a picture of the table listed in the article so y'all can see where everyone fits in the grand scheme. It seems to me that STEM majors are more suited for non-STEM jobs, especially those in education. These individuals help foster and encourage future STEMs, which I am all for! As I reflect on my STEM friends, the majority of them are either in medical school or pursuing their PhDs so that they can teach. The only STEM friends that I know who are working at STEM jobs are the engineers. 

While this post is meant to highlight where STEMs match up, I will impart a nugget of wisdom from my mama. Do what makes you happy. When the day arrives that you no longer enjoy what you do, its time for a career change. So to all my STEMs in non-STEM jobs, keep doing what you’re doing if it makes you happy and fulfilled.

I hope this post was informative. Again sorry for my tardiness. Is there any STEMs in a non-STEM jobs? If so, what field are you in? I will try to have my post ready for next week and the topic will be: Fem-STEMs

Deuces yo!

Citations

“Census Bureau Reports Majority of STEM College Graduates Do Not Work in STEM Occupations”  <www.census.gov>

“STEM: Good Jobs Now and for the Future”. <www.esa.doc.gov>