STEM has and is having a huge impact on our society.
An interesting article that casts a little rational light onto the STEM craze that is sweeping the world at the moment.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/education/the-stem-crisis-is-a-myth
http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/education/the-stem-crisis-is-a-myth
Here is ANOTHER article that shows many STEM jobs don't necessarily require a 4 year degree. Nearly half of all STEM jobs don't.
http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2013/06/10-stem-economy-rothwell
http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2013/06/10-stem-economy-rothwell
Top STEM jobs that do not require a
Bachelor’s Degree
The top job is the Registered Nurse which has been in high for decades now. In fact, Nursing is the only occupation to have Federal legislation passed specifically to provide training, starting with the Nurse Training Act of 1964. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there are currently 2,711,500 openings for nurses today. Many of the STEM related subjects in a nursing program include Chemistry, Nutrition, Psychology, Microbiology, and Behavioral Sciences. Skill acquisition to a high level of proficiency of various medical devices, technology, must be acquired to become a Registered Nurse. The average salary for Registered Nurses is $69,110 dollars a year.
Another high demand/skill/pay STEM job is Elevator Installers and Repairers. And while a bachelor degree is not required, most states require licensing which is attained by entering into a rigorous apprenticeship program offered by a local union or via the National Association of Elevator Contractors. In addition to having to complete a four-year apprenticeship most states require continuing education hours to maintain the license. Some of the STEM related subjects in the apprenticeship include applied physics, electronics, logic, electrical principles, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, as well as computer fundamentals. The average annual salary for Elevator Installers and Repairers is $76,650 dollars per year.
The occupation which draws the largest annual salary among those STEM jobs that do not require a Bachelor’s Degree is Computer Systems Analyst at an average of $82,320 dollars per year. The son of famed author Richard Bach, James Bach is the poster child for this profession and wrote a book on his journey as an autodidact – Secrets of a Buccaneer Scholar. A person in this line of work has no bounds on the STEM subjects in which they delve. This is another occupation that requires an unending desire to learn and think in order to remain relevant in the occupation.
“You cannot hammer a nail over the internet” is a saying that introduces another STEM job that does not require a Bachelor’s degree – Carpenter. True to the other jobs, this occupation includes a great deal of physics, engineering, technology and math. It was the carpenter who used the 3-4-5 rule to square their constructions almost certainly before Pythagoras produced his famous theorem. A famous carpenter of today is Wally Wallington who now spends his days of leisure researching, experimenting, and rediscovering the “forgotten technology” of the ancient builders of Stonehenge. He applies an understanding of Physics to move almost anything. John Carroll is a Master Carpenter and author of the book, Measuring, Marking, & Layout: A Builder’s Guide which shows a high level of mathematical understanding and skill which can be attained and applied without a college education. Carpenters average $44,330 dollars per year.
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental forces of nature and the Electrician has the job of understanding, harnessing, measuring, and delivering this force to electrify our modern world. This occupation is a gate-way to higher level STEM jobs because math, technology, science, and even engineering are involved and can lead an inquiring mind further down the rabbit hole. My first four-year apprenticeship was as an Industrial Electrician where I had the opportunity to work with advanced manufacturing technology including computer integrated controllers, programmable logic controllers, welders, robots, and various automated equipment. It was this exposure to automation that led me to my second apprenticeship as an Elevator Mechanic and on to my third apprenticeship, which I am currently engaged in, as a Building Automation Technician. I have designed, built, and programmed computer controlled machines via this occupation. The occupation of Electrician pays over $52,000 a year on average and there are over 500,000 current openings across the country.
Several other traditional trades that are good paying and in high demand include Plumber, Welder, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Technicians, Pipe Fitter, and Automotive Service Technicians. All of these positions pay better than the national average and require a high level of STEM understanding and application. And each requires over-sight by First-line Supervisors, another STEM occupation, which typically pays more than the job which is supervised.
While these jobs do not require a Bachelor’s degree, they do require post-secondary education in addition to extensive on-the-job experience. It isn’t simply a skills gap, but an experience gap that limits the number of qualified candidates for these positions. Many times a person will need to start with a lower paying company in order attain the years of experience better paying employers require.
University education and their Academics can’t answer the employers need and in many cases inhibit the skill acquisition of the learner by adding irrelevant and esoteric drudgery which is not applicable to the trades. I am speaking from over eight years of apprenticeship experience as well as two decades of part-time higher education pursuits.
Most successful STEM trade persons, those who do not pursue a traditional four year college education, tend to be autodidactic in nature. They have a desire to receive training and not education from institutions. Their educational curriculum requires a greater amount of autonomy than afforded by extrinsic institution. James Hemming stated in his book, The Betrayal of Youth, that “No human being will pursue any activity for any length of time if it consistently brings more frustration than satisfaction.” Academic focused education is a deterrent for many a creative and intelligent mind.
We would do well to develop an alternative system to help non-academic minded population reach their full potential in STEM related fields of employment.
- John Duncan
The top job is the Registered Nurse which has been in high for decades now. In fact, Nursing is the only occupation to have Federal legislation passed specifically to provide training, starting with the Nurse Training Act of 1964. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there are currently 2,711,500 openings for nurses today. Many of the STEM related subjects in a nursing program include Chemistry, Nutrition, Psychology, Microbiology, and Behavioral Sciences. Skill acquisition to a high level of proficiency of various medical devices, technology, must be acquired to become a Registered Nurse. The average salary for Registered Nurses is $69,110 dollars a year.
Another high demand/skill/pay STEM job is Elevator Installers and Repairers. And while a bachelor degree is not required, most states require licensing which is attained by entering into a rigorous apprenticeship program offered by a local union or via the National Association of Elevator Contractors. In addition to having to complete a four-year apprenticeship most states require continuing education hours to maintain the license. Some of the STEM related subjects in the apprenticeship include applied physics, electronics, logic, electrical principles, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, as well as computer fundamentals. The average annual salary for Elevator Installers and Repairers is $76,650 dollars per year.
The occupation which draws the largest annual salary among those STEM jobs that do not require a Bachelor’s Degree is Computer Systems Analyst at an average of $82,320 dollars per year. The son of famed author Richard Bach, James Bach is the poster child for this profession and wrote a book on his journey as an autodidact – Secrets of a Buccaneer Scholar. A person in this line of work has no bounds on the STEM subjects in which they delve. This is another occupation that requires an unending desire to learn and think in order to remain relevant in the occupation.
“You cannot hammer a nail over the internet” is a saying that introduces another STEM job that does not require a Bachelor’s degree – Carpenter. True to the other jobs, this occupation includes a great deal of physics, engineering, technology and math. It was the carpenter who used the 3-4-5 rule to square their constructions almost certainly before Pythagoras produced his famous theorem. A famous carpenter of today is Wally Wallington who now spends his days of leisure researching, experimenting, and rediscovering the “forgotten technology” of the ancient builders of Stonehenge. He applies an understanding of Physics to move almost anything. John Carroll is a Master Carpenter and author of the book, Measuring, Marking, & Layout: A Builder’s Guide which shows a high level of mathematical understanding and skill which can be attained and applied without a college education. Carpenters average $44,330 dollars per year.
Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental forces of nature and the Electrician has the job of understanding, harnessing, measuring, and delivering this force to electrify our modern world. This occupation is a gate-way to higher level STEM jobs because math, technology, science, and even engineering are involved and can lead an inquiring mind further down the rabbit hole. My first four-year apprenticeship was as an Industrial Electrician where I had the opportunity to work with advanced manufacturing technology including computer integrated controllers, programmable logic controllers, welders, robots, and various automated equipment. It was this exposure to automation that led me to my second apprenticeship as an Elevator Mechanic and on to my third apprenticeship, which I am currently engaged in, as a Building Automation Technician. I have designed, built, and programmed computer controlled machines via this occupation. The occupation of Electrician pays over $52,000 a year on average and there are over 500,000 current openings across the country.
Several other traditional trades that are good paying and in high demand include Plumber, Welder, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Technicians, Pipe Fitter, and Automotive Service Technicians. All of these positions pay better than the national average and require a high level of STEM understanding and application. And each requires over-sight by First-line Supervisors, another STEM occupation, which typically pays more than the job which is supervised.
While these jobs do not require a Bachelor’s degree, they do require post-secondary education in addition to extensive on-the-job experience. It isn’t simply a skills gap, but an experience gap that limits the number of qualified candidates for these positions. Many times a person will need to start with a lower paying company in order attain the years of experience better paying employers require.
University education and their Academics can’t answer the employers need and in many cases inhibit the skill acquisition of the learner by adding irrelevant and esoteric drudgery which is not applicable to the trades. I am speaking from over eight years of apprenticeship experience as well as two decades of part-time higher education pursuits.
Most successful STEM trade persons, those who do not pursue a traditional four year college education, tend to be autodidactic in nature. They have a desire to receive training and not education from institutions. Their educational curriculum requires a greater amount of autonomy than afforded by extrinsic institution. James Hemming stated in his book, The Betrayal of Youth, that “No human being will pursue any activity for any length of time if it consistently brings more frustration than satisfaction.” Academic focused education is a deterrent for many a creative and intelligent mind.
We would do well to develop an alternative system to help non-academic minded population reach their full potential in STEM related fields of employment.
- John Duncan