Why is it Important to Study STEM?

In case you’re unfamiliar, STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It’s an acronym used to describe a hard-science approach to education with the purpose of teaching students problem-solving skills. 

So now you may be wondering, why is it important to study STEM? 

Real-life scenarios are used in STEM-based curricula to help students learn. STEM activities give students hands-on and mind-on learning opportunities. Making math and science enjoyable and intriguing for students encourages them to do more than just learn.

If encouraged, students will acquire a passion for STEM and, perhaps, pursue a career in a hard-science discipline if they are exposed to it and given the opportunity to investigate STEM-related concepts. 

In this post, we’ll investigate the importance of studying STEM and the potential benefits it offers students.

What Is The History Of Stem?

Before we delve into the importance of stem in today’s world, let’s first have a look at the history of stem. 

If you think about it, the concept of stem education has been around for a very long time – it just wasn’t known as STEM. Back in the year 1958, President Eisenhower proposed and launched the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, otherwise known as NASA.

NASA is immersed with stem graduates as their whole work ethic is based on education in science, technology, engineering, and math. 

In the 1970s and 1980s, there was a huge push to try and get students into the science and technology field. This led to many breakthroughs throughout this time period including the first cell phone and the first-ever space shuttle launch.  

It was in 1990 that the acronym STEM was first used. New guidelines and curriculums were put into place by teachers and schools across the country to redefine the way education was taught. Fun fact it was actually named SMET, then later changed to STEM in 2001. 

Ever since then, the demand for stem graduates has only increased. All aspects of the stem field whether it’s science, technology, engineering or mathematics have seen massive growth over the past few decades, with many discoveries and breakthroughs yet to be made. 

Why Stem Education Is Important

There are countless reasons as to why stem is important in today’s world. As a combination of different fields that have all merged into one, STEM education provides many skills to the person who has chosen to study it. These include critical thinking, problem-solving, and attention to detail just to name a few. 

Exciting innovation 

Innovation lies at the heart of STEM education. Whilst completing a stem degree, individuals get to take deep and thoughtful looks at problems and then create real-world applications for their solutions.

Exposure to innovative scenarios from a young age can also tremendously help young people if they decide to pursue a stem related career path in the future. Introducing them to stem professionals and role models within the field can help them to look forward to what they can achieve with persistence and hard work.

Its also important to note that most young children already engage with STEM concepts without understanding, or adults even realising. For example, when children play and buildup stacking blocks, they are essentially learning the laws of physics. Or when they run off into outdoor nature scenes to explore a fallen nest or flower, they are experimenting and seeing the real side of the scientific world.

Shaping the economy 

STEM education is becoming more and more prominent within the global economy. The number of people employed in a stem related field is expected to grow a staggering 10.8% in the next 9 years, which really makes a difference to the economical side of things. 

Also, the average starting wage for a graduate stem employee is around £26,000 per year which is almost a 20% jump from the average amount earned by a non-stem graduate in the UK. 

Both the expected job vaccines within the stem field and the higher than average living wage alone are enough to make an impact within the national economy but to top it all off, jobs within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics field are predicted to grow at an exponential rate. 

This all goes to show just how big of an impact the study of stem can have as the demand for people with stem degrees who also have transferable and great problem-solving skills is only increasing. 

Closing the gender gap 

Unfortunately, the female to male ratio with STEM fields is still very much present. Even now in the 21st century, men vastly outnumber women in scientific, engineering and technological roles. Research shows that women are much less likely to graduate with a stem degree than their male counterparts, with women of colour or from an ethnic minority having an even smaller percentage. 

This gap signifies the unfair conditions and poor treatment of women in the past, but that has all now changed. The gender gap ratio used to be quite large indeed and the good news is that it’s slowly, but surely, starting to close. 

Women are becoming much more empowered and are being encouraged from a young age to pursue their dreams. This includes giving talks and providing educational programs to primary school children to show them anything is possible. 

Bringing more women into STEM fields not only improves the quality of work in those fields but also opens up greater career opportunities for women. 

Job opportunities 

With the vast array of different job roles within the STEM field and the huge demand for skilled employees at the moment, it is not difficult to imagine the opportunities available out there. 

Not build-up of key skills throughout a stem degree creates solid mental foundations, but also provides graduates with an admirable set of skills for which many employees would pay a hefty wage for. 

There are many stem jobs out there that can earn you a reputable paycheck and secure bright horizons including:

• Nanosystems engineer;
• Lab technician;
• Games developer;
• Aerospace engineer;
• Operations research analyst;
• Pilot;
• Financial advisor;
• Anesthesiologist;
• And even an underwater archaeologist

What Is A Stem Major?

Anybody who wishes to get into the stem field will need to study at a college or university and more specifically, enrol in a stem program. Depending on what path you want to follow, you will either study one of the four major STEM disciplines or the program will be a combination of at least two subjects from science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

STEM degrees often have an interdisciplinary, hands-on educational approach which in turn creates more curious and innovative graduates. And since the four major stem pathways have so many subdisciplines, students are able to choose from a wide choice of job opportunities after they graduate. 

Science majors

Following a science major could mean working in labs or crime investigation environments, spanning all the way across to hospitals and factories. Examples of science degrees include:

• Geology 
• Chemistry 
• Genetics 
• Biomedical science 

Technology majors 

Mainly focusing on mechanics and production, technology majors are exciting and fast-paced. They bring in many skills from the other three disciplines and examples of degrees include:

• Computing 
• Computer science 
• Information science 
• Web development 

Engineering majors 

Engineering covers a very large area of different jobs and specialisations, each of which with its own unique features and benefits. From designing and conduct experiments to identifying and solving problems, here are some examples of engineering degrees:

• Civil engineering 
• Mechanical engineering
• Robotics 
• Computer software engineering 

Mathematics majors 

At the core of nearly everything in today’s world, math is used extensively in all four stem disciplines. From mobile phones to banking to airport applications, below are common mathematics degrees: 

• Statistics 
• Advanced mathematics 
• Accounting and finance 
• Geometry 

Meeting The Challenge Of Stem Education

The job demand within the STEM field is currently very high and the problem is there aren’t enough graduates to fill them. This is one of the major challenges that needs to be met and overcome within the world of stem. One solution to this problem is to motivate children into pursuing a stem career from a young age.

Kids can be easily influenced and pointed in the right direction, especially by their teachers. Encouraging teamwork, developing communication skills and boosting curiosity are all great skills that children can apply within their lives, even if they don’t end up choosing a stem pathway. 

Another way to do this is by erasing the gender divide. It’s well known that there is an imbalance in the number of females to males within the stem industry, and this can sometimes out of girls from pursuing this career. 

Teachers, parents and guardians can do lots of things to help their female students overcome these biases and nurture their STEM dreams. For example, this can be done by encouraging female students to participate more during class and introducing them to more female role models in stem who they can look up to. 

By using active learning techniques and showing encouragement to all students, you can help them to overcome the obstacles that are faced when going into STEM. After all, educating ourselves first so we gain a better understanding of the importance of stem study will ultimately help us to educate and inform others.