Our experts believe “STEM Rush” is rooted in the fear of parents for their children’s future, as they feel that STEM-based careers best set up their children for success when they go out into the world. Over the past years, parents have been increasingly shifting towards STEM-related careers to match global trends. 

The Harvard Gazzette has noted that employment in STEM occupations has grown 79% in the past three decades. This substantial increase is due to the increasing availability of these jobs and their perceived higher salaries. Parents wish to set up their children’s careers by pushing them into lucrative industries.

However, is this promise of a STEM career really worth forcing the children of this generation into these fields at the expense of every other interest they might have?

‘No Pain, No Gain’

We interviewed Senior Hansika Pulietikurthi, a student switching from a STEM pathway to a business pathway, about this issue.

“I definitely believe that students are inclined towards STEM because of community pressure and money,” she said. 

Pulietikurthi highlights the mentality that many students have when picking careers, especially in STEM. Money plays a big factor in choosing a career, but does society put any pressure on it as well? 

“I know how everyone says that you have to be a doctor or engineer to bring honor to your family name,” Pulietikurthi said. “Only by being a doctor can your parents and family receive certain praise, which pushes you to do it. I see many adults commenting badly on artistic career choices and downright praising STEM careers. It saddens me to see this because even I went through this.”

Many teenagers like Pulietikurthi feel a need or pressure to go into STEM careers to make their parents proud, or to look strong in the face of society by bringing their family “honor.” So does going into STEM justify your family status, or are other careers just taboos? Not one or two, but many parents and relatives push this philosophy on kids the moment they begin to talk. 

So is society causing the rising influx of STEM graduates, or does something else come into play?

“Honestly, I feel like it’s 50/50,” Pulietikurthi said. “I know a lot of kids who just proudly admit that they are in it for the money. Saying things like ‘I don’t care because I’m going to be rich’ or ‘no pain, no gain.’” 

There’s no denying many are deeply passionate about sciences and are happy to enter these fields, but some question if making such a serious decision based solely on superficial factors will be beneficial in the long run.

“Honestly, it’s disturbing to know that such a large percentage of people are in [STEM programs] for the money or are forced into it, even calling it ‘pain,’” Pulietikurthi said.

I honestly feel it’s saddening to see children picking these careers because of the money and not for their personal fulfillment or passions. To describe entering this industry as “no pain, no gain” is very disheartening for the tech industry itself. Careers should be chosen based upon interest or passion rather than money or finances. 

Another interesting aspect of the STEM Rush phenomenon is the probability of making it big time in this industry. Does going into STEM necessarily mean big money, or is that just a commonly held view?

A Pew Research study found that 74% of STEM jobs offer bigger salaries compared to 73% of non-STEM jobs.

The US National Science Foundation found that STEM workers had a median wage of $64,000, higher than the $40,000 from non-STEM jobs.

While non-STEM jobs aren’t specifically highlighted for their money, they can still make equally as much as STEM careers. In fact, indeed shows this with numerous studies. Architects make a median average salary of $110,447 per year, while Business Managers make around $105,660 per year. Both careers well outweigh the median STEM salary. Indeed, economists make around $110,141 per year, while a school principal makes an average of $114,164 per year. 

All of these jobs make well above the average STEM salary, thus demonstrating that “making it big” doesn’t necessarily require going into STEM. The promise of high-paying jobs isn’t shackled to just one industry but is rather spread across the entire global economy. Going into a certain field doesn’t promise as high a salary as much as STEM Rush makes it seem.

So if there are ample opportunities outside of STEM to make similar or even superior salaries, is this STEM rush really necessary? Is it necessary to push kids into careers or even hinder their decisions about their interests based upon a higher-than-average salary that can be attained in multiple non-STEM fields?

Instead, society should prioritize hard work and passion as the way to make it big in life instead of herding all promising young minds into a single industry. It’s the dedication and work ethic that contribute to an individual’s life, not just the career choice.

Updating the Youth

While some students are pressured into STEM, other students can also feel motivated or passionate about the industry itself. 

A  student interested in medicine at South Forsyth High School, sophomore Hasini Balaji, was interviewed on this subject and brought a fresh perspective to the issue. 

“I think that students are more inclined towards STEM [for their] careers, not only because of their parents but also because of their dreams,” Balaji said.

Although people may view STEM as a money-making or status-bringing industry, some students think of STEM as a career they legitimately want to pursue for their own interests.

 “In this age and day, parents no longer have that much of an influence on their children because of technology and other resources, but those same factors [that motivate their parents] are what motivate students to reach higher than they ever thought they could,” Balaji said.

Balaji explained how she thinks that the internet allows a new generation to form their own opinion of personal goals, including a better career choice. 

 The accessibility of technology today has a huge impact on today’s generations. It can be thought that the STEM Rush might not just be coming from parents or society but from the wide usages of the internet and the content that young generations consume in day-to-day life. Many view the internet or social media as a generation-changing mechanism, and it’s certainly helping young adults and teens develop their individual opinions.

“The availability of resources allows students to research what they really want to become or what they have an interest in, and they can use it to their advantage by having support to help them achieve what they truly want for their future,” Balaji said.

Every individual has the chance to choose what is best for them, whether it’s their interests and passions or what they feel resonates with them the most. Career choice is a hugely personal, life-changing step that all must take at some point, like a rite of passage. 

The true beauty of it all is to allow the young minds of today to make their own choices about what they want to do and how they want to change the world forever.