🕒 Read time: 6 mins

By Laura Bill

As of 2023, 9.4 million people in the UK worked in the STEM industry. But these individuals aren’t all scientists and mathematicians. There’s actually a world of opportunities waiting to be explored. You may also be drawn to the promise of job security and good salaries. While these factors are enticing, it’s always worth having a clear idea of what working in the STEM industry is really like.

What does a STEM career involve?

If you’ve always dreamt of a future STEM career, you may be curious about what your day-to-day may look like.

Susan Cammiade from BNP Paribas claims that although STEM subjects are believed to be highly theoretical, there is also plenty of practical work involved. You won’t just be sitting at your desk or within a lab – many roles are extremely hands-on. And, in most cases, no two days are the same.

Despite the stereotype of STEM professionals working independently, there’s also a heavy emphasis on teamwork. And, in any STEM career, you’ll need to be a quick learner. This industry is constantly on the move. You’ll need to adapt to new tools, as well as new methodologies and processes, which may reshape how roles are carried out. With this in mind, you should have a yearning for learning – regardless of your previous education and experience.

While you may have taken a keen interest in science or maths at school, the real-world industry is a different ball game. Within STEM education, problems are marked with ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers. But working in the STEM industry, challenges are often extremely complex and open-ended. Further insight is often needed to find solutions. In other cases, there may be multiple ways to approach issues which require in-depth knowledge on which route to take.

Students are typically taught that taking a step-by-step approach gives predictable outcomes; however, real-world STEM work is recursive.

Unique careers that require maths and science qualifications

One of the biggest myths about STEM is that you’ll only ever become a scientist or mathematician. But there are thousands of STEM-based roles to choose from. As the industry is ever-evolving, new roles are constantly being introduced.

Some interesting STEM career paths that may never have crossed your mind include:

Data analysis

In data analysis, you’ll interpret numbers and data into information that can be used to identify trends and predictions. In turn, you’ll play a key role in inducing decision-making throughout the business structure to improve processes and finances.

Sports scientist

Sports scientists have a great understanding of the human body. Typically, they’ll be based in hospitals and carry out daily tasks such as analysing training/competition data to identify how the individual can improve performance.

Computer programmer

Computer programmers create and maintain software programmes. Their tasks typically involve writing code, testing and debugging. This requires knowledge of specific languages, such as C++, JavaScript and Python.

Finance

A STEM background can be highly advantageous in the financial sector. This is because you’ll be dealing with large amounts of data, which requires excellent mathematical skills. There are many different finance career routes to consider, including accounting, investments and tax, to name just a few.

Sustainability analyst

Are you passionate about the environment? If so, you could work alongside businesses to help reduce their carbon footprint. In this role, the main responsibilities are to interpret data insights and identify factors such as risk and opportunity.

User Experience (UX) researcher

UX researchers aim to understand the behaviours and actions of consumers in relation to technology. Within this role, you’ll be analysing both quantitative and qualitative data to make observations and tech design decisions.

What are universities and employers looking for?

Getting A* grades doesn’t necessarily give you a free pass into the STEM industry. So, if your exam results don’t turn out exactly as you’d hoped, your career prospects aren’t over yet.

Universities and employers value skills such as:

· Problem-solving

· Communication

· Flexibility

· Inquisitiveness

· Teamwork

Personality is key

During my time working in graduate recruitment, candidates weren’t judged on their grades alone. Personality also played a role in the decision-making process. After registering with the agency, candidates were asked to record a short two-minute video. This was an easy way for the team to get a feel for their personality. Many graduates share a similar educational background. Yet, it’s their character that ultimately helps them stand out from the crowd.

It's always worth enrolling in as many extra-curricular activities as possible. These may include work experience, volunteering roles, or even a gap year spent travelling. Each experience gives a flavour of your passions and interests. Employers are far more interested in hiring someone who can bring fresh perspectives and skills to the team, over someone who has good grades on paper.

When it comes to the world of STEM, learning is key. In technical fields, knowledge quickly becomes outdated. Therefore, those who succeed long term are those willing to stay up to date with the latest trends and continue training.

Is AI putting STEM careers at risk?

Artificial intelligence is changing the nature of many STEM-related jobs.

According to SThree, 44% of young STEM professionals are already feeling at risk of AI taking over their careers. The good news is that the majority of roles aren’t disappearing overnight. Many UK employers are also willing to increase salaries by 14% for jobs which require AI skills. Instead of taking over the industry completely, AI is simply reshaping certain tasks for the time being.

So, is the STEM industry expected to change? The bottom line is: yes.

AI tools are extremely valuable in carrying out repetitive tasks. Therefore, it’s expected that the STEM industry will be using AI to speed up research processes, as well as organising and streamlining data, for example.

Plus, it’s no secret of its ability to inspire ideas. You can easily prompt AI tools to become a personal research assistant. However, one of the downsides is that it trains itself to produce ideas based on years-old data. Therefore, while it can be useful to speed up brainstorming, it’s not a fully reliable solution for all processes.

AI trends are continuously evolving, so watch this space!

The human skills still needed in an AI world

Nevertheless, certain human skills will always be valuable to the STEM industry. These include:

· Critical thinking (Spotting errors created by technology)

· Emotional intelligence (The interpersonal aspects of leadership and team management)

· Creativity (Thinking outside of the box rather than relying on existing data patterns)

· Emotional Intelligence (The ability to interpret emotive context)

On a final note…

It’s easy to worry about which subjects to take for GCSE and A-level in relation to your future career. But the average British employee changes career paths every 5 years. So, instead of fretting about what job you may end up with later down the line, ask yourself:

· What impact do I want to make in my future career?

· Do I prefer repetitive tasks or the chance to try something new every day?

· Do I like working with people or independently?

In your teen years, there’s no pressure to have your career fully mapped out. What matters more is paying attention to what you enjoy and being willing to branch outside of your comfort zone. In turn, you’ll give yourself far more room to grow into a career that suits you – whether it’s in the STEM industry or something entirely different.

STEM Careers, Futures, and the Reality of Work

What does a STEM career involve?