Photo Credit: Governor Tom Wolf under Creative Common License
The world of education is rapidly changing. Since April, The World Economic Forum reports that more than 1.2 billion students worldwide were affected as a result of today’s challenging times. This has led to a massive shift toward distance learning. However, even before this year, distance learning has already shown significant growth in the last decade. The number of online courses and degrees that can be taken off-campus has surged as well. And in an era so centered around technology, both for studying and work, the value of STEM education is greater than ever before.
STEM graduates are building the modern world that we live in, and with technology advancing so quickly, their value is ever increasing. Yet with a decreasing interest in STEM subjects among younger students, more needs to be done to encourage them to pursue this subject and understand its value in the 21st century.
It’s a community of innovators
STEM graduates lead the innovation of new products and processes. From smart cities to smartphones, STEM professionals are making the world more advanced, sustainable, and safer. For example, many of the improvements in healthcare like 3D printing in genomic medicine, and robotic exoskeletons are all a result of technology and science. The value of STEM education isn’t limited to one field and this needs to be emphasized to encourage more students to take the degree. When you’re a STEM graduate, you’re going to become a valuable part of the community that pushes for global innovation.
STEM is a great choice for online learning
The very nature of a STEM degree makes it conducive to online learning, which is now a huge advantage. Since the subjects are heavily involved with technology, students can easily learn and gain real-world experience at home while still accessing the on campus resources remotely. Students taking Maryville University’s online computer science degree programs are given the opportunity to work in the Maryville Virtual Lab. This is a student-run security operations center that provides cybersecurity services to nonprofit organizations, charities, schools, and small businesses at no cost, and it can be accessed remotely. Other universities across the world are also shifting to online learning for STEM subjects, with participants of the EU-funded Scientix 3 project integrating real-world problems into their curriculum through the Scientix Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform. Scientix MOOC is an online portal that collects and presents European STEM education projects and their results.
More than any field, STEM is one that’s constantly being adapted to online platforms, making it a valuable choice in a time when distance learning is the new norm. And the good news is that the knowledge and practical experience that was once only found on campus is now available to students online, making the reach of STEM much wider.
There’s a huge demand for STEM workers
Since most industries rely on technology to operate effectively and efficiently, there’s a high demand for STEM graduates globally. In fact, CNBC reports how some of the fastest-growing remote jobs like data scientists, UX architects, and IT consultants are all covered by STEM. There is also a huge demand in fields not traditionally associated with STEM, with those in marketing and advertising much better off with a background in data science. The insight gathered from their customers will help them develop products and create highly targeted campaigns to attract more people. Meanwhile, graphic designers will need to learn about the process behind web design if they want to create the best user experience possible. Overall, the value of a STEM course is that there are plenty of job opportunities for graduates.
STEM will help you reach your dreams
At this point in your life, the future may seem a long way off to decide on a definite career path. One good thing about STEM is that you don’t have to commit to any profession now. For example, if your dream is to work for a big tech company like Apple, Google, or Amazon, then a STEM major will guide you towards a more general career path. A Computer Science major, for instance, may cover a lot of fields, from basic programming to software development and testing. Along the way, you might find the field that resonates with you the best and pursue that in the later years of your college stay. STEM will expose you to skills—not jobs—that will let you make a career decision in your own time.
Of course, if you’re already eyeing a particular industry, like game development, then there are also more specific STEM majors that you can pursue, such as Game Design and Programming.
For those not looking to pursue a full career in STEM, we believe that One Course Makes the Difference. This is because the value of a STEM education will only increase as technology advances. Regardless if you end up in a STEM career or not, one or two of its courses will help you in your journey to success.
Don’t settle for uncertainty, especially during these tough times. Get the freedom you want with the attention you deserve with Legend College Preparatory. Legend College Preparatory offers a variety of STEM courses to choose from for students in grades 6 – 12th.
For more info on finding the right courses for your student, please schedule a consultation to discuss your student’s needs.
Spring Intensive 2021 program is now open for enrollments. Click here to check out the class schedule.
Written exclusively for Legendcp.com
by Allison Locke