Abhishek Chauhan
Those that have a passion for technology will always be drawn to STEM careers. These days, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics play an enormous role in the business world, which makes STEM professionals in demand. STEM professionals are in demand and can help organizations in a wide range of industries, so now is certainly a good time to develop a STEM career. As you might imagine, this is not the easiest area to succeed in, and it is important to be aware of a few career tips that should help you to find success with your career. Keep reading for a few career tips for STEM professionals that should help.
Choose A Career Path
There are many options when it comes to STEM careers, so you need to take some time to find a career path that is suited to your skill set and also one that you are interested in. A few popular STEM careers that you can look into as a jumping-off point include:
- Operations research analyst
- Psychiatrist
- Data scientist
- Software engineer
- Engineering manager
- Financial advisor
Research Your Path
Once you have established the area and career path that you are interested in, you can then start researching this path and what steps you need to take to get started. You can start looking into the skills, attributes, and qualifications that are needed as well as how you can build experience and find entry-level work. You should also start looking at events that you can attend, publications that you can read, and communities that you can join that will allow you to immerse yourself in the field and start to build a professional network (more on this to come).
Develop Your Technical Skills & Knowledge
Obviously, technical skills will be essential no matter what STEM career path you follow. Once you have identified what the technical skills and knowledge are that you will need, you need to start developing these skills as it can take a lot of time and effort to master them. These technical skills and knowledge can be taught at school and/or through courses, but you can also develop them in your own time with your own research and practice. You will need to excel technically in order to find success in any STEM career, so you need to start working on these skills as early as possible and have patience as they can take some time to master.
Work On Your Soft Skills
Technical skills and knowledge are essential, and you need to focus on these areas, but you must not forget about technical skills. You will not get far if you do not possess excellent soft skills, especially as many of these will be key for building relationships. As a STEM professional, you will be working as part of a team, tasked with presenting your findings and explaining your work to those that do not have the technical knowledge that you possess. This means that you need to possess excellent communication skills, be able to work as part of a team, and be able to manage your workload.
It is important to determine what the key soft skills will be in your STEM career and then make sure that you do not neglect these areas. Sometimes, someone will already possess a soft skill, but often, there will be areas that you need to work on. You can usually develop soft skills with courses, research, and practice.
Develop Business Acumen
STEM professionals also need to develop business acumen so that they can understand how their work has an impact on the business. You have to be able to use your technical skills and expertise to benefit an organization, so it is important to understand how businesses work and how strategy is developed. If you are working in a particular industry, you need to know the ins and outs of this industry so that you can see the big picture and understand how your work is beneficial and valuable to a company.
Take A Masters Course
Following on from this, STEM professionals should look into a master’s course that would develop the technical and business skills that are required to climb the ladder and reach management positions. A master’s degree in engineering management is a good example of a course that will prepare you for engineering management roles, including developing project management skills and leadership skills so that you are able to lead a cross-disciplinary team. You are able to customize your degree based on your career goals, and the course can be completed entirely online, which makes it easier for people to study while they work and start applying what they learn straight away. If you want to excel in your career, develop key skills and bolster your resume, then this is the best way to do it.
Gain Experience
As with any career path, you need to gain as much experience as you can. When first getting started, you could look into entry-level jobs, voluntary work, or an apprenticeship as a way to get your foot in the door. This is a chance for you to learn and develop professional skills, see if this is the right profession for you and start to build a professional network. STEM careers tend to require a lot of study and research, but you do need the experience to get a good start and to develop important professional skills that will help you to gain success and stand out from the crowd.
Work On Your Weaknesses
As you start to develop the key skills and gain experience in your STEM career, it is important to analyze your performance and identify any weaknesses that you have. People are often reluctant to work on their weaknesses, but it is these weaknesses that hold you back in your career. Therefore, it is crucial to find out what these weaknesses are and then find ways to improve them. Additionally, it is a good idea to ask for feedback from your manager and others that you work with. Sometimes, people have weaknesses that they had no idea about, so feedback is key for finding these and then turning them into strengths so that you can improve and stand out from the crowd.
Build A Professional Network
As with any career area, it is important to build a professional network, and the earlier that you start with this, the better. There is a strong sense of community with STEM professions, so you need to take advantage of this and network at every opportunity. You should do this by attending relevant industry events and through the work experience that you gain. You can also network online and join online communities as a way to build a large, global professional network that could come in handy when you are seeking work opportunities. You should not shy away from asking for support from your professional network when you need it and be willing to help out others when they ask for help.
Stay Current
One of the most interesting aspects about STEM professions is that they are constantly changing, especially with the rate at which technology is improving. This means that STEM professionals have to make a commitment to staying current so that they can keep up with the latest trends and developments in their field. You can usually do this by attending events, reading journals and other publications, reading blogs, listening to podcasts, and engaging with online communities. This will help you to start current, show your dedication to your field and improve your abilities and knowledge in your chosen area.
Find A Mentor
STEM careers can be challenging because you need to develop such a high degree of knowledge and skills, plus you must also have strong business acumen and know-how to stand out for the right reasons. It is for this reason that having a mentor is so helpful, especially in the early stages of your career. If your place of work does not have a mentorship program available, you could look into an external mentorship program or use someone in your professional network that will be able to help. Having a mentor can help you to advance your career, avoid common mistakes receive advice, guidance, and support. STEM careers are not the easiest and can be stressful, so having a mentor can be extremely useful in terms of support.
Hopefully, the advice in this guide will help anyone that is pursuing or thinking about pursuing a STEM career. These days, STEM professionals are in demand, with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics playing such a major role in the business world and in many different sectors. For those that are passionate about STEM, there are many excellent career paths to consider that can allow for an interesting, rewarding, and lucrative career. STEM careers can also be challenging, stressful, and competitive, so it is important to know how you can build a successful career.
