STEM, and what it means for new jobs

My job requires me to spend my days searching for talent in primarily technical fields.  A theme that I often return to is that of the gap between this country's need for technical talent and what is being produced by our educational system.  I encourage young people, or people of any age contemplating a career change, to consider STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields of study, which is where the jobs are and where they're projected to be in the future. 

Here are some fascinating projections for job growth in STEM related fields.

Table 1.2 indicates that the fat portion of job growth in STEM fields is for bachelor's degrees in Computer Occupations and Engineering. 

But you don't have to load up on degrees to catch this wave!  Check out these career paths that can be approached with a two year technical college degree.  Given the often crushing costs of a college education, and the dismal job prospects of many non-STEM degree holders (despite perhaps graduating from a prestigious institution), these numbers are thought provoking. 

The fastest growing jobs.  The takeaway from this chart is that most of the new jobs being produced by the new economy are in fact not well paying.  Repeat after me - STEM !