The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#1

Post by lelf » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 9:36 PM UTC

The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)
spectrum.ieee.org

Re: The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#2

Post by pm90 » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 9:44 PM UTC

[2013]

Re: The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#3

Post by charmides » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 9:46 PM UTC

Note that this piece is from 2013. I think that should be indicated parenthetically in the title.

Re: The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#4

Post by robbrown451 » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 9:50 PM UTC

charmides wrote: post #3

Note that this piece is from 2013. I think that should be indicated parenthetically in the title.

Title should also use all caps for STEM.

Re: The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#5

Post by pm90 » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 9:51 PM UTC

charmides wrote: post #3

Note that this piece is from 2013. I think that should be indicated parenthetically in the title.

A very practical consequence being that many links within the article are dead, which makes it hard to dig into any references.

Re: The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#6

Post by HarryHirsch » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 9:57 PM UTC

charmides wrote: post #3

Note that this piece is from 2013. I think that should be indicated parenthetically in the title.

It only got worse since.

Re: The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#7

Post by goatinaboat » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 10:00 PM UTC

charmides wrote: post #3

Note that this piece is from 2013. I think that should be indicated parenthetically in the title.

It was a myth much longer ago than 2013 yet the article is no less valid today. In fact with the rise of bootcamps and so on it has gotten even worse in software particularly. There should be laws against bootcamps ripping off hopefuls with false promises.

Re: The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#8

Post by pg_is_a_butt » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 10:03 PM UTC

goatinaboat wrote: post #7

charmides wrote: post #3

Note that this piece is from 2013. I think that should be indicated parenthetically in the title.

It was a myth much longer ago than 2013 yet the article is no less valid today. In fact with the rise of bootcamps and so on it has gotten even worse in software particularly. There should be laws against bootcamps ripping off hopefuls with false promises.

So you want to ban religion?

Re: The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#9

Post by vikinghckr » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 10:05 PM UTC

Slightly off topic, but I feel like when people talk of STEM as a lucrative field of study, they tend to imply CS. Non-CS STEM field hardly have a shortage of qualified and talented people. In fact, there's probably a oversupply compared to job prospects in non-CS STEM fields. I see so many talented Math/Physics majors end up switching to CS and do mundane software engineering work.

Re: The STEM Crisis Is a Myth (2013)

#10

Post by pm90 » Sat, Aug 31, 2019, 10:07 PM UTC

Yet another article with the same premise: “there is no shortage of scientists and engineers, there are enough of them!”

Take a moment to read through the article. First it tries to show that STEM graduates are such a small proportion of the total labor force, only 3-4%, the implication being that such a small proportion shouldn’t deserve the attention the get. OK, fine you’re arguing that it’s hype.

Next, cherry pick data to show that not all STEM graduates from this tiny sector can all find jobs. Yes, this is not a factory, you can’t just train someone and expect them to be productive in STEM. It’s not the same as pushing buttons or lifting things, it requires much more from the person which is why you can’t mass manufacture STEM graduates. Just because not all STEM graduates can find jobs means that it’s a hype? Okay.

Next, sprinkle some grievances about STEM being used to justify increasing the number of H1Bs, and now you’ve got the racists, the “H1B workers are why I don’t have a great job” crowd. Nice.

Oh, don’t forget the quotations of authority figures sounding alarm about the lack of engineers. The same alarm, that helped US education systems include more technical training to keep up with schools everywhere else who were in the same race. This is not some secret, all countries know the importance of high skilled labor force.

The wealth and prosperity we see in most nations today is precisely due to the work of millions of STEM graduates, creating innovations and technologies that constantly drive down costs of manufacturing and transportation, increased labor productivity, gave us fucking smartphones and internet everywhere devices and are currently bringing down the costs of renewables so rapidly that even Texas is going all in on wind energy.

I’m very upset that this appears in ieee though. I imagined that to be a respectable academic institution and not one that would allow such a poorly researched and hyperbolic article to be published.