BY now, you’ve most likely heard of STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – which continues to change the world through scientific and technological advancements.
In fact, Sarawak has been taking necessary steps to develop and strengthen STEM culture through education and community engagement in order to build a STEM-driven workforce as part of its digital economic transformation.
However, while consisting of careers that can guarantee success for both men and women, there are still misconceptions regarding STEM. As you will find out below, these myths are no longer relevant with current realities:
Myth 1: STEM is a serious field
Most of the time, STEM is considered serious and is associated with indoor laboratory research, microscopes, gadgets or electronic circuits.
In truth, it can actually be fun because you have the opportunity to perform experiments and possibly discover something new out of your research, whether in an actual laboratory or out in the field.
Plus, today’s STEM isn’t limited to agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing, instead it can be found in game development, cosmetics and even sports. Suffice to say, you have a wide range of career paths to choose from when it comes to STEM.
Myth 2: There is no creativity in STEM
When you conduct experiments, you need to find ways to tackle them, which means your problem-solving abilities depend on how creative and innovative you can get.
Studying and working in STEM-related fields also enable you to develop your soft skills, be it working with others, thinking critically, making decisions or learning from your failures.
Myth 3: A STEM job requires a degree
Some of today’s STEM jobs such as graphic designers, mobile application developers, and technicians don’t necessarily require attending a three- to four-year university degree programme.
Instead, you can learn and master the needed skills through online courses or STEM-based programmes at technical and vocational education and training (Tvet) institutions, which can be completed for less than two years.
Myth 4: STEM is only for scientists and engineers
As mentioned earlier, today’s STEM offers many career paths in a number of industries due to its basic principles and skills that can be applicable to various fields.
Given that Industry 4.0 is upon us, the demand for STEM talents is high, even in fields that are supposedly unrelated to STEM, including education, finance and media. Thus, you need to build on your STEM literacy so that you are capable of approaching a problem logically.
Ultimately, you need to have the interest, be willing to adapt and constantly stay up-to-date with the latest scientific and technological news and research to thrive in and contribute to your community through STEM.
This is a weekly column by SarawakYES! – an initiative driven by Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd and supported by Angkatan Zaman Mansang (Azam) Sarawak – to provide advice and stories on the topics of education and careers to support Sarawakians seeking to achieve their dreams. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.