An article in Carolina Journal celebrates the fact that that some cities in North Carolina have ranked as destinations for jobs in the STEM- related fields (i.e. science, technology, engineering and math).
Encouraging young people in the United States to go into these fields is a bit of a double-edged sword. It is well known that large employers in concert with political leaders abuse the visa process to bring large numbers of foreign workers into the STEM fields (especially technology) so that wages can be held down. American graduates of STEM programs often have difficulty finding jobs as a result.
Young people can be lured by media messaging that suggests the STEM fields are the most promising. However, this can be illusory. Note that employers are also offshoring these jobs to India and elsewhere.
The process for career formation can be a bit treacherous. Young people need to be aware of all these dynamics when they make decisions regarding education and career paths.
STEM is better than gender studies ( – :
Yes, it is, Fred. And that illustrates just how treacherous these paths can be for young people. They might be inclined to pursue STEM to avoid much of the other garbage that is out there. Imagine the sense of betrayal knowing that you completed a four year program and then discover there are no jobs.