Remember when we were talking about computer science degrees a while back? Based on my own observations, it seemed like computer science had become the ‘cool’ degree that younger males were flocking to. In addition, any STEM degree was given a parade and every other degree was considered to be as worthless as ‘Basket Weaving’. The first hint of something wrong here was the degree of rhetoric. Engineers don’t make more than the owners of the company. And last time I checked, there are many engineers coming from Asia and India. You don’t need culture to become an engineer.
Check out this story saying that the STEM degree shortage is a myth.
Basic dynamics of supply and demand would dictate that if there were a domestic labor shortage, wages should have risen. Instead, researchers found, they’ve been flat, with many Americans holding STEM degrees unable to enter the field and a sharply higher share of foreign workers taking jobs in the information technology industry. (IT jobs make up 59 percent of the STEM workforce, according to the study.)
This would explain why the guy in class I know who has an IT degree couldn’t find a job. If you’re wondering what industry where workers are getting paid more due to worker shortage, it would be the energy industry, i.e. oil. One particular reason why is that the two largest drainers of worker supply cannot be present in the oil industry especially field services. Women will not work there because of the hazards, discomfort, and the sheer ruthless working environment (you have people screaming at you for holding back production for seconds). Foreign workers have trouble finding employment because of the necessity to speak English well due to safety reasons. One game developer asked me what industry could I recommend? I’m not sure, but I have been seeing some of the industrial sectors looking for people. The reasons for their shortage are due to the same reasons as above. They’re just jobs women and (some) foreign workers cannot or will not do which reduces the worker supply.
The EPI study said that while the overall number of U.S. students who earn STEM degrees is small — a fact that many lawmakers and the news media have seized on — it’s more important to focus on what happens to these students after they graduate. According to the study, they have a surprisingly hard time finding work. Only half of the students graduating from college with a STEM degree are hired into a STEM job, the study said.
This will not be good news to STEM students. However, you might as well see reality today instead of being surprised by it.
The picture is not that bright for computer science students, either. “For computer science graduates employed one year after graduation . . . about half of those who took a job outside of IT say they did so because the career prospects were better elsewhere, and roughly a third because they couldn’t find a job in IT,” the study said.
“How did you know this, Master Malstrom?” asks the innocent reader. “How did you suspect what is a surprise to everyone: that STEM degrees, such as computer science, aren’t a guaranteed job ticket?”
It’s the classic situation of sensing that people were moving towards something because it was ‘cool’. Hipsters are being attracted to the degree which is a bad, bad sign. The sexier the investment is to the masses, the more likely the investment will fail.
The jobs and industries you should aim for are ones that aren’t ‘cool’. Remember, being in a ‘cool’ job, such as game development, means you are still just an employee like anyone else. The employee role, no matter what industry, is never cool. Therefore, it doesn’t matter what industry you be the employee in. The reason why you go to work is to get money, not to be ‘cool’.
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