As he scribbled complicated, intricate figures on the board, Dr. Personette began describing the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. Although, I can confidently say that it is an equation to measure the derivation of pH as a measure of acidity. Yet, at the time, I had no idea what my Chemistry teacher was talking about. At that exact moment, my mind was focused on subjects that were more interesting to me.
Of course, my boredom wasn’t Dr. Personette’s fault. Simply put, I’ve never been fascinated by the sciences. Unlike many of my peers in AP Chemistry, I find it more interesting to read a history book or a literary classic, than to ponder dense calculations. And that’s fine. We all have different talents and passions each with its own inherent value. Unfortunately, the education prospects of our nation don’t agree with this reasonable perspective.
Over the past years, America has become obsessed with the idea of STEM education. In short, it’s an education initiative that places Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math over everything else. Under this view, if you plan to major in English, Philosophy, or History, you’re more of a burden than a benefit to society. It’s a highly optimistic(and flawed) proposal that makes “History buffs”, such as myself, shudder at their future prospects.
In the decades to come, the STEM doctrine teaches that science-based jobs will grow because our economy is expanding in those sectors. According to Popular Science, our economy will be dominated by people who major in degrees such as Physics and Computer Science. So, in my AP Chemistry class, those who will secure these “high-paying” and “abundant” supply of jobs will be those who intend to major in these specific fields. Meaning, that Oliver( who likes to read history books) is practically screwed. Yet, fortunately for me, the STEM philosophy is founded more on idealistic blabbering than on actual facts, which is quite ironic since science is based on objective observation.
Most Americans assume that there is a drastic shortage of STEM jobs in our nation. The whole idea promoted by the STEM philosophy depends on there being a large demand for these jobs. From this theory, we get the notion that those who are good at science and math will obtain easy and high-paying employment in the years to come. There is only one problem. This perception of our current state couldn’t be farther from the truth.
There is no data indicating widespread labor market shortages in the STEM fields. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Rand Corporation, and the Urban Institute, U.S. higher education produces far more science and engineering graduates annually than there are science and engineering job openings. The Atlantic expands in 2014 that most studies of real wages in many science and engineering occupations have indicated marginal growth or no growth at all. These studies have also showed unemployment as high or higher than in many comparable-skilled occupations. Surprisingly, the unemployment rates for fields with “serious” shortages are 7.8% for computer scientists, 7% for engineers, and 11.7% for information system specialists. To put this in perspective, those unemployment rates are higher than those of lawyers.
STEM sells well, but delivers poorly. According to the Director of the National Institutes of Health, some of the largest and most heavily financed scientific fields, such as biomedical research, are among those with the least attractive career prospects. In a way, STEM has been craftily devised lie that has brainwashed millions of students to think that the only way to be successful in the modern economy, is to carry a certain type of degree during graduation.
This line of thinking hasn’t escaped our school. After starting a conversation with a friend interested in STEM, you will be able to easily determine they are quite confident about their job security. With a lack of research in the market, many of my colleagues think that with their STEM degree they will be able to frolick out of their colleges and instantly drive a porsche, buy a big house, and marry an attractive spouse. However, if you take into consideration, they might drive a Toyota Corolla, buy an apartment, and marry a not so attractive spouse. Or perhaps, they will be unemployed. Or maybe, there is no such thing as a degree that can guarantee success.
The future won’t be determined by what type of degree you hold. In fact, the most successful formula for success is the combination of humanities with STEM skills. Look at Facebook. According to the Washington Post, Mark Zuckerberg was a classical liberal arts student who was also passionately interested in computers. He studied ancient Greek in high school and majored in psychology while in college. In various interviews, Zuckerberg has stated that the combination of STEM skills and a strong core of liberal arts is what led to Facebook. As he put it, “Facebook is as much psychology and sociology as technology.”
As we get closer to the future, it is undeniable that we need to increase our aptitude in STEM skills. However, that is the worst excuse to neglect our Liberal Arts foundation. It is a laughable assumption that we can function without the equally important skills that teach us how to write effectively, communicate proficiently, and think critically. There is no equation for that.
Worryingly, many senators have threatened to defund certain majors that are perceived as unnecessary, such as English, Art History, and Anthropology. According to The Herald, even our own governor, Rick Scott, has publicly discredited people who major in subjects that he thinks are not valuable to our state. This line of thinking is toxic to our progress in the 21st century.
America was not built on the backs of social scientists or engineers. If we look at our history, this nation is still being bolstered by the efforts of entrepreneurs. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, we rank 27th in math, 20th in science, and 17th in reading. Yet, this is a poor predictor of national success. Looking at other data, we are second in the world in terms of venture-capital investments as a percentage of GDP. Also, we are the global leader in research and development spending and the number of high-tech companies as a share of all public companies.
Since we are still the global hub of entrepreneurship, many asian countries actually try to emulate our education system. Jack Ma, the founder of China’s Ali Baba, recently stated in a speech that the Chinese aren’t as conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship as Western education. Basically, Ma hyothethized that while the Chinese education system teaches the basics well, it fails to foster creativity and critical thinking. Meanwhile, in the United States, we try to replicate Asian Education systems that, while being phenomenal in producing engineers and doctors, have failed to create the types of entrepreneurs that have this made nation great.
We can’t neglect our roots. Sure, we can pretend that our nation would be better with a strictly STEM approach, but then we would be losing the values that makes America the nation that it is today. There shouldn’t be competition between the humanities and the sciences. At the end of the day, these two regions of study are both just as important to producing a successful economy. Let’s not fall into the STEM bandwagon. Let’s keep America innovative.