GFG, I know a LOT of underemployed bio majors (assistant in a daycare center, billing coordinator in a medical office, etc.) who are wondering why nobody told them that STEM wasn’t the road to success and riches.
There is no such thing as STEM in terms of careers. It’s nice to talk about politically and it gets media attention when a billionaire endows a program to encourage girls to “study STEM”.
But there is NO labor market for STEM.
There is the labor market for kids who majored in biology, and the labor market for kids who studied AI and Robotics. Which market is hotter right now?
There have been perpetual disconnects in the supply and demand for kids who study pure math (bottom line- you need to be the best of the best to have a career as a mathemetician) vs.kids who study applied math where there are abundant opportunities in banks, credit card companies, retailers, insurance companies, airlines, consumer products, etc. And no- you don’t need to be a genius to get one of those entry level, professional career jobs which are well paid.
So I agree with you in one sense-- EVERYONE needs to learn about how labor markets operate, who hires what and why. But I don’t agree that STEM kids get a pass. There wouldn’t be so many STEM grads earning $14/hour in jobs with no benefits otherwise.
Bio without grad school, med school, or a special skill in something? Get in line.