From the “your undergrad degree does not necessarily determine your life’s trajectory” files comes this interesting article on the much headlined (but, according to this author’s research, mythic) shortage of STEM researchers (STEM = science, technology, engineering, and math).

Apart from little agreement in the literature on just what constitutes STEM disciplines and employment areas, the article finds:

The author concludes the article as follows:

Many children born today are likely to live to be 100 and to have not just one distinct career but two or three by the time they retire at 80. Rather than spending our scarce resources on ending a mythical STEM shortage, we should figure out how to make all children literate in the sciences, technology, and the arts to give them the best foundation to pursue a career and then transition to new ones. And instead of continuing our current global obsession with STEM shortages, industry and government should focus on creating more STEM jobs that are enduring and satisfying as well.

It’s an article worth reading and mulling over if you’re interested in the role of the liberal arts in 21st century education.

[Thanks to a colleague in UA’s Department of Physics & Astronomy
who pointed this article out to me]