Skills that build a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

You might have noticed that automation has taken over many jobs that were once reserved for humans. Be it a receptionist, bill desk executive or retail staff, many jobs are in the verge of automation with robotic staff working in offices in many companies. With technological disruption, workplaces have become automated and more dynamic in nature. The future of work is unpredictable and humans and machines will work together in a fast changing world.

As you see, automation replaces human workers but it is not just replacement but transformation of job roles to a higher level. This indicates that the new technologies will enable you to work in better and creative ways. To utilize the opportunities in the right way, it is important for you to develop your STEM skills as it help you to be more productive and drive more value at work.

The importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) has become limitless in every part of our lives. Today, many of the sectors require STEM skilled people in diverse roles. Some examples of 21^st century job roles include Software Engineer, Web developer, Business Analyst, Software Architect, SAP Consultant etc. Jobs in Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Big Data Analytics, Block Chain Technology etc are booming and attracting skilled employees.

To get an edge over others and to excel in your career, you should develop the skills in engineering design processes, design thinking, inquiry, math and science etc. Most importantly, your STEM skills should be aligned with the 21^st century skills.

Now, let’s have a look at how you can build your career in STEM related jobs with these skills:

Develop your reasoning and problem solving skills

Your ability to reason and solve problems using math, science or technical knowledge will be valued by your employer. Organizations face problems everyday and they want quick problem solvers. You need to develop your efficiency to solve problems with the smallest amount of efforts with greatest effect.You can develop your reasoning and problem solving skills in many ways.

Practicing logic puzzles and games will help you develop your strategic thinking. You can also work out your ideas and thoughts by making sketches. Another way is to use Mind Maps which will help you to focus on your problems and its possible solutions. You can view your problems from all angles and arrive at a possible solution. There are a lot of online platforms that help you perform these activities in a structured way. You can use it continuously to develop your skills.

Hone your critical thinking and analytical skills

You have to hone your critical thinking skills to make the best possible decisions. You should learn to define and approach problems and situations from many different viewpoints and analyze every possible solution. Also, it’s important for you to develop skills to analyze data sets and to understand how they relate to other data, systems and processes. Data-driven decision making skills will help you to take decisions not just based on what you think or feel, but on scientific data that supports the best solution.

One of the most important ways to develop critical thinking skills is to become a self-critic. You should be a critic of your own thoughts and beliefs and ask continuous questions. As such, you will be able to analyse your thoughts and arrive at a logic. This will help you to observe how you react to a particular situation. You should also become an active listener to other’s criticisms. Active listening skills help you to analyse diverse situations aptly.

Offer creative and unusual ideas

Your willingness to offer creative and unusual ideas will make you unique. A fresh perspective and a spirit of creativity will surpass others. Therefore, try to be creative when dealing with complex projects. Organizations value employees who deal with problems in a creative manner to arrive at the best possible solution.

You can develop your creativity through collaborating with others. Learning from others will improve your skills to do things in a unique manner. Brainstorming is another way to develop your ideas and thoughts. Also, to advance your abilities you should be willing to take risks. This will help you unleash your creative potential and make you capable of introducing innovative ideas.

 Communicate and collaborate

It’s important that you develop skills to communicate and collaborate with others towards a shared goal. You should be an active member in your team and adapt to the work processes. This helps you to get an edge over others.

You can improve your collaborative skills by maintaining a high level of trust with your team members. Also, active listening and volunteering helps you to strengthen your communicative and collaborative skills in a better manner.

Technology is continuously expanding into every aspect of lives. By exposing yourself to STEM skills and exploring the STEM-related concepts, you can build your career on your own. STEM helps incorporate industry defined skills, talents, and specialisations. By developing the above skills, you can utilize the STEM careers which will be in demand always.