In the world we live in today, science and technology has transformed and touched every aspect of our daily lives; from getting a taxi on our smart phone to being able to message anyone in our world with a press of a button. Science and technology has also revolutionized our quality of life. Just 3 days ago, a 3-year old boy was the youngest recipient of a 3D printed prosthetic arm in NY’s Jacobi hospital. This 3D printed prosthetic will enable him to use his arm normally - to grab things for example - and to allow his body and spine to develop in a healthy manner. Prosthetic arms are not fitted for children because children grow so quickly and prosthetics are very expensive; the 3D printed arm only costs $100 and if you break it, you can get another one, making it basically disposable.
In addition to being a truly inspiring and innovative field, STEM careers offer many benefits: financial,intellectual, and philanthropic. According to the 2017 update by the US Department of Commerce, employment in STEM occupations grew by more than 24% in comparison to non-STEM occupations, which grew only by 4.0%. Further, STEM occupations are projected to grow by around 9% percent by 2024. On average, STEM workers earned 29% more than their non-STEM colleagues in 2015. This premium has increased from 2010 by 3% and will continue to do so with the digitalization of our society. Research done by the Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce predicts that there will be 9 million STEM jobs by 2018.
This is a list of coolest occupations in STEM right now across three promising industries, offering incredible prospects for growth, impact and compensation.
Automotive
Self Driving Car Engineer
Self-driving cars present an enticing and mysterious future. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in a self-driving car? Well the opportunity to work in this field holds tremendous potential both in terms of scientific innovation and the ability to impact our world. Google’s self-driving car project Waymo has in its development. Other companies such as Uber and Tesla are embarking on their own self driving car projects. Interestingly, Google’s project is that it had a unique compensation strategy for its engineers that many left due to the lucrative financial compensation — the salaries and bonuses were multiplied based on the performance of the project, and according to this article, one staffer had a compensation multiplier of 16. Sounds like a good deal!
Healthcare
3D Printing Engineer
The 3D-printing industry holds an amazing opportunity for the growth and transformation of our world, especially in the healthcare market. According to Harvard Business Review (HBR), in 2014 the 3D printing industry grew by 35%. In the same year, the 3D printing healthcare market was valued to be $579.0 million, and it is projected to reach $2.4 billion by 2020. In healthcare, 3D printing has been used for a variety of things, including plaster casts, finger splits, organs, prosthetic casts, and even a bionic ear, which could hear frequencies beyond the reach of a normal human ear. This industry is going to continue to evolve and offer even more advances, which do not even know about in the current state.
Law and Cybersecurity
Security Architect
With the growing digitalization of our world, companies store more and more proprietary data in the cloud. Data stored in such a way has become indispensable, and the amount of data created will continue to increase. Consequently, the amount of people who are interested in hacking into this data has risen. Just last week several Fortune 500 companies were paralyzed by a cyber-attack, which has left major companies unable to function for a period. Thus, cyber security is increasingly crucial for corporations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for such a profession will increase by 9% by 2024. Due to an increase in the use of digital data for all corporations, this job will be in demand across different types of industries, as well as start-ups aiming to disrupt this market.
