The aspirations for De Anza College’s students to major in STEM are as diverse as the students themselves, ranging from a passion for hands-on learning to a desire to make a meaningful societal impact.
STEM includes all disciplines in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Over the years, STEM fields have grown in popularity with students recognizing their promising career prospects; however, a concerning disparity exists between STEM graduates and employers’ demand for STEM degrees.
In a recent La Voz survey of 19 De Anza students, 94.5% of interviewees believe that STEM fields are in equal or higher demand than other majors, while, 66.7% are concerned that STEM fields might be oversaturated.
A 2021 Census Bureau report backs up these concerns, revealing that “28% of STEM grads are working in these supposedly in-demand, highly paid and important STEM jobs” and the other 72% are not.
What drives this misalignment between STEM education and the workforce?
In short, bosses and shareholders do. As some corporations voice concerns about a shortage of technical STEM workers, those same corporations continue to fire their STEM workers en masse. These layoffs cast a constant shadow over this workforce, generating uncertainty and anxiety.
For example, on Jan. 10, Twitch laid off 500 employees — approximately 35% of its workforce.
The perception of abundant STEM job opportunities contrasts with many STEM graduates’ experiences. According to the same La Voz survey, 63.2% struggle or know people who struggle to secure employment in STEM fields.
Ryan Chu, 18, a computer science major, said, “I think there is an overflow of junior STEM graduates … for more senior positions, I think there’s a shortage.”
According to Columbia Community College Research Center, Community colleges such as De Anza offer STEM students affordable education. De Anza professors are using tools such as WebAssign, Expert TA, and OpenStax are also being used to make STEM education more accessible.
Richard Lopez, a math professor at De Anza, is exploring WebAssign, a Cengage product.
“I’m trying this new (product) because I know students are online a lot,” Lopez said. “They like to learn online things, and I’m starting to post and create more videos for students to watch.”
In the La Voz survey, 94.5% of the students believe that the current STEM curriculum equips them adequately for the workforce. However, 60% of these students said they want students interested in STEM fields to have more available and accessible educational opportunities, including programs, scholarships, and internships.
Bridget Long, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, highlighted that “only 20% of high school graduates are considered prepared for college-level STEM coursework, and less than half of U.S. high schools offer computer science classes,” aligning these sentiments with the broader context.
These statistics present the importance of increasing access and opportunities in STEM education to ensure that students are well-prepared to work in STEM professions.
The outlook for STEM appears promising; 63.2% of surveyed students anticipate an increase in interest in STEM majors graduates. Others think that combining passion with interest holds importance.
Mary Diehl, a computer information systems professor, said students should pursue STEM with passion in mind.
“Really learn the basics and have a passion for learning and for that career, and for that pathway. Either you develop that passion or combine the STEM field with something you are passionate about. And I think that’s important.”
