Whew! STEM Crisis: Avoided.

It is very fashionable these days to bash on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) educators for driving students away from pursuing these careers and thereby ruining this country's future.  I am so sorry, Wall Street, for ruining the economy - I will try harder, I promise!

Somehow this never sat well with me, but I was having trouble voicing my doubts about this interpretation of the STEM job market problem. Don't most talented people go where the money and the jobs are in a down economy despite their lousy high school physics teacher(s)? Now, two recent articles have popped up supporting my gut instincts on this one:

(1)  We are doing just fine in the actual engineering graduation department compared to the rest of the world, thank you: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-innovations/president-obama-there-is-no-engineer-shortage/2011/09/01/gIQADpmpuJ_story.html

(2) The 'right' number of STEM graduate actually graduate in the USA, they just decide to pursue other careers (bio majors going to med school, physics majors working for hedge funds, etc.).  Now, correct me if I am wrong, but that sounds like a market place problem not an education problem, right? http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=graphic-science-science-tech-jobs-enticing



(Cartoon from http://fidgetyteach.blogspot.com/2010/05/there-is-so-much-negative-banter-about.html)