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Preparing for a STEM Career
by Susan Gubing, CareerSmarts, Change Agent for Education 3.0
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills are foundational. That means once you know them,
you have the groundwork to build specialized knowledge. Even if you're not planning to become a scientist
or engineer, basic scientific and investigative methods can be applied to a wide variety of career fields.
STEM Coursework
What coursework is most useful for acquiring STEM skills? Get started by choosing these classes in high school
or college:
- Algebra
- Statistics
- Biology
- Geography
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Computer technology
- Computer-assisted art
- Research methods (in any discipline)
- Calculus
- Economics
- Electronics
- Environmental science
- Political science
- Technical writing (business plans, research reports, grant proposals)
STEM Experience and Hobbies
Try one or more of these activities to increase your STEM skills:
- Help a community organization with a fundraising event or other project that uses budgeting and math skills.
- Participate in a data-collection project to gain experience writing surveys, conducting interviews, and analyzing data using standard database software.
- Teach youth at a science summer camp or after-school program.
- Try programming your own video game or customizing your favorite. You can often download free software from the Internet.
- Explore a technical hobby. Learn about computer parts, try building your own computer, and use an online forum to share how you did it.
- Job shadow or intern with an engineer or someone in another technical field.
- Join a Math or Science Club.
- Prepare a project for a science fair.
- Learn computer applications or technology related to a field of interest, like CAD for architecture or SQL for database work.
STEM Careers in High Demand:
- Biological Technicians
- Biomedical Engineers
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemists
- Civil Engineers
- Computer and Information Systems Managers
- Computer Hardware Engineers
- Computer Programmers
- Computer Software Engineers, Applications and Systems Software
- Database Administrators
- Electrical Engineers
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
- Environmental Engineers
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
- Food Scientists and Technologists
- Forest and Conservation Technicians
- Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
- Industrial Engineers
- Mechanical Engineers
- Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
- Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators
- Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts
- Operations Research Analysts
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January 2013
Want to participate?
Companies can:
- Speak at a school
- Provide a student tour
- Provide a job shadow
- Sponsor an intern
- Sponsor a program
Schools can:
- Request a speaker
- Request a company tour
- Request a job shadow
- Request an internship
Contact us!
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