STEM Crisis in Modern Countries a Myth

• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2013-09-02 19:02
  http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/education/the-stem-crisis-is-a-myth
  
  If you're in higher education right now, be prepared to move to get a job in field of study and take internships/experience.
• Yoorah wrote on 2013-09-02 23:00
  I didn't read the whole thing... but from what I have, I'd take it with a grain of salt (even though I respect and read IEEE Spectrum myself!)
  
  I can't say much about engineering and math, but when it comes to computer science and IT, the biggest challenge is keeping your knowledge up to date. Not only do you have to keep up to date in your own field of technology expertise, you also have to look at trends and learn new stuff that you think will be important in the near future. This is how you maintain your value to your employer (and therefore keep your job). This is especially important in my field (consulting). I think Osay would agree with this, as he's in tech consulting as well.
  
  Having a degree is nice; it can get you through the door as a new grad. But after a few years, potential employers care less and less about your degree and more about your current knowledge/experience. I would suspect that many people with STEM degrees who cannot find work in a STEM field are having the issue where their knowledge/experience is outdated and therefore the companies would rather hire fresh grads who would have both more updated knowledge and lower salary expectations...
  
  So I think that getting a STEM degree is still a good idea. Everyone from my graduating class got tech job as far as I know. Most of us are working in medium-large companies, a few people started their own companies, and a few work for the government. If you look at computer science job postings, you'll see that there's tons of them for entry level positions for new grads.
  
  The only issue to be concerned about is whether your field will require you to put in tons of effort to keep your knowledge up to date and to learn new things constantly, and whether you're willing to do that. It's more work than some may think.