Studying STEM Subjects Doesn't Box You In

Many university-bound students who need to choose their majors and careers often ask questions like, "Can you study Engineering, but end up in business?" or "If I study Math, can I only become a professor or researcher? Are there options for me outside academia?" You shouldn't fret.

While traditionally, STEM students ended up in STEM careers where their skills were most useful, today's inter-dependent world has many career options in fields where a diverse skill set is required.

STEM majors often don't realize that other options are open to them because they see their skills as STEM-specific. This is far from the truth. Many large multinational companies and banks look to recruit STEM majors into their Management Associate/Trainee programs because STEM students have very sharp analytical and numeracy skills that are easily transferable. Below, we discuss some alternatives for STEM majors who want to explore their options.

Option 1: Banking

More and more banks and investment firms are looking for STEM graduates. Their ability to sort through and analyze data accurately and efficiently sets them apart from other graduates. Banks often have a rigorous recruitment process that includes tests to measure your language, mathematical, and analytical abilities. If you have a strong mathematical or numerical background, especially due to your field of study, try looking for these 2-year programs that will give you a strong foundation in banking and endless career opportunities in the finance industry.

Option 2: Entrepreneurs

Often STEM students have brilliant ideas that could change the world. But they tend to lack the necessary business acumen to turn it into a profit-making business. To tackle this challenge and produce a generation of well-rounded entrepreneurs, many universities offer businesses classes for STEM majors as well as minors in "Technopreneurship" or some similar course. These courses teach undergraduates the business skills necessary to take their ideas and turn them into successful start-ups and businesses. After all, don't we keep hearing that the next generation of successful businesses will be based on technology?

Option 3: Management

Management positions are definitely not closed off to students from STEM fields. Most big MNCs have management trainee programs. Their requirements are often broad, such as, any degree with a high CGPA, involvement in co-curricular activities, excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, strong analytical skills, leadership abilities, and self-motivation. While there are technical jobs in supply chain, production, and R&D available, students are usually put on a rotational attachment before being placed into a specific function. They can also apply to specific functions such as sales and marketing, market research, and finance and control. These fields definitely require strong deductive abilities and numeracy skills.

For STEM students who want to transfer into a management role after getting experience in STEM fields, it is still possible to do so. If you have a change of heart mid-career, usually an MBA or other certification combined with your years of experience should definitely open doors into management for you.

Option 4: NGOs and Community Development

Social and community development isn't only for social work majors and politicians. Technology is improving the lives of people in rural communities globally. Some major life-saving inventions, like the clean water pipe, or economically developing inventions, like the solar bottle bulb, have revolutionized rural living. Such innovative technology helps millions of people globally. However, it is also possible for STEM majors to help people directly on smaller scales. Whether you are a doctor doing pro-bono work for those who can't afford medical services or an architect who helps rebuild rural spaces or a mathematician who sets up a school in an under-developed areas, there are a myriad of possibilities to help those around you.

So, to all the students considering studying STEM subjects, always remember, there is no box. Today's world is all about fluidity, both in terms of what you study and also your career options. What you've heard from your parents is probably right, STEM subjects are a great way to open more doors and hedge yourself against unemployment.