Bright future?

Bright future but can we see it?

I’m an engineer by trade but sadly I didn’t know today’s stats.  The U.S. has always led in the fields of science and technology and I think we always will but the new numbers are alarming.  I grew up in an age just after the Apollo missions and loved watching the Space Shuttle launches. Learning about and experiencing those amazing events, along with my love of flying, fueled my desire to become an engineer.

The events of the 21-century are also inspiring (NASA’s future manned mission to Mars and SpaceX to name a couple) and will require a focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) careers.  STEM jobs are now on the rise and in the future the need will only increase.  Sadly the data shows we cannot fill those STEM careers with our current workforce.  An Adecco study and Infographic highlights these facts.  Currently 277,000 STEM jobs are vacant, and few people seem to be priming themselves to fill them. Of all the students who enter college and earn a bachelor’s degree, only 19 percent graduate with a STEM major, only 10 percent get a job within a STEM field and only 8 percent still work in that field after 10 years.

The future is STEM and we need to ensure that our children are ready for it.  The future will be bright and exciting, and the preparation starts right now with math and science.

Is your child ready for the STEM future?