Highest-Paying and Fastest-Growing STEM Jobs for Minorities in STEM

STEM StudentsWe live in a world where, increasingly needs arise that only specialists in science and technology can solve, which is why professionals in STEM careers are in demand by companies all over the world! Their work is crucial to solve environmental, health, technological or economic problems. But… what are these careers? Where can I find the highest paying jobs? These and other frequently asked questions about STEM careers are answered in this article.

 

What are STEM careers?

It’s true that STEM careers are the careers of the future. The question is… what are these careers? The answer is simple and lies in their acronym which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. In other words, STEM professions are all careers that include studies, knowledge and skills related to these technical disciplines.

 

Science

These careers train you to solve real-world problems through scientific theories, concepts and experiments. To do this, you develop your critical thinking, research skills and analytical ability to reach conclusions. Science majors include biology, biotechnology, physics, and medicine.

 

Technology

In this field, you develop new systems and programs, or improve existing software. And you use scientific reasoning and data to find solutions to these problems. Some examples of STEM careers in technology are systems analysis, web development, programming, and robotics.

 

Engineering

This is one of the most practical fields! As an engineer, you must leverage your creativity and technical skills to solve a wide variety of problems within the real world. Environmental engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and chemical engineering are among the most in-demand fields.

 

Mathematics

If you study a career in this field, you learn to reason and solve problems by analyzing data, creating models and identifying patterns to propose solutions.

 

Some of the highest-paying careers are also the fastest-growing. Recent data shows that jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, are expected to grow 15% between 2021 and 2031.

 

While tens of thousands of workers have been laid off this year, occupations in the STEM industry remain in high demand. STEM-related jobs are expected to increase by nearly 800,000 by 2031; more than half of these are projected to be mathematical and computer occupations, according to a recent SmartAsset study.

 

Six out of ten workers worldwide say they’re in the market for a new job and there is a huge interest in STEM careers. However, there are a lot of questions and misconceptions about the right pathway to attaining those jobs, according to a new survey from IBM and Morning Consult.  

Here’s the breakdown.

  • 61% of students and career changers are actively looking for a new job now or plan to within the next year
  • More than 80% of all respondents have plans to build their skills in the next two years
  • At least 90% are confident they can develop skills or learn something new from an online program.
  • 61% of respondents think they are not qualified to work in a STEM job because they don’t have the right academic degrees
  • 40% of students say the greatest barrier to professional or technical skill development is that they don’t know where to start
  • 60% of respondents worry that digital credentials may be costly to obtain
  • Being able to continue to work while earning a credential is particularly important to career changers.

 

 

Growth in the American STEM industry is attributed mainly to the country’s growing computer industry. Computer occupations are projected to be in demand over the next decade because of growth in the American digital economy, a U.S. Department of Labor Beyond the Numbers report finds.

Information security jobs top the list of fastest-growing STEM jobs for the second year in a row. STEM jobs overall account for 5.9% of the fastest-growing occupations in the United States. 

Of the fastest-growing STEM occupations, here are seven that pay over $100,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Physicists 

Median salary: $152,430

Growth rate 2017-2021: 19.8%

Projected growth rate 2021-2031: 8.2%

Change in number of jobs 2017-2021: 3,310

Projected change in number of jobs 2021-2031: 1,900

Computer and information research scientists 

Median salary: $131,490

Growth rate 2017-2021: 10.5%

Projected growth rate 2021-2031: 21.3%

Change in number of jobs 2017-2021: 2,920

Projected change in number of jobs 2021-2031: 7,100

Computer hardware engineers

Median salary: $128,170

Growth rate 2017-2021: 10.5%

Projected growth rate 2021-2031: 4.8%

Change in number of jobs 2017-2021: 6,980

Projected change in number of jobs 2021-2031: 3,700

Computer network architects 

Median salary: $120,520

Growth rate 2017-2021: 7.0%

Projected growth rate 2021-2031: 4.3%

Change in number of jobs 2017-2021: 11,000

Projected change in number of jobs 2021-2031: 7,500

Actuaries 

Median salary: $105,900

Growth rate 2017-2021: 19.9%

Projected growth rate 2021-2031: 20.8%

Change in number of jobs 2017-2021: 3,830

Projected change in number of jobs 2021-2031: 5,900

Information security analysts

Median salary: $102,600

Growth rate 2017-2021: 49.4%

Projected growth rate 2021-2031: 34.7%

Change in number of jobs 2017-2021: 51,970

Projected change in number of jobs 2021-2031: 56,500

Biochemists, biophysicists 

Median salary: $102,270

Growth rate 2017-2021: 28.0%

Projected growth rate 2021-2031: 15.3%

Change in number of jobs 2017-2021: 7,670

Projected change in number of jobs 2021-2031: 5,700

Scholarships to help students into STEM disciplines are multiplying, and an online search will throw up hundreds of results. However, not every scholarship is for you, both in terms of eligibility and interest. Some are open to all STEM students, others are for students already in college, and some are exclusively targeted at underrepresented groups like women and minorities. One thing that can help with the filtering process is being clear about the field or industry you want to go into. You can make a long list of prospective scholarships that meet your requirement before shortlisting your priority targets. Make sure to apply to as many scholarships as necessary, including a few outside your industry focus, to improve your chances of success. IOScholarships simplifies the process for you. It matches you with thousands of scholarships based on your talents and skills. This improves your chances of winning the scholarship.

 

If you would like to know more about top STEM careers read the following article

 

 

Highest-Paying and Fastest-Growing STEM Jobs