Finding Happiness in a STEM Career
Given that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s an opportune time to take account of our mental health, happiness, and whether our personal and professional goals are in line with achieving and maintaining that. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), having meaningful work or work that contributes to the greater good is linked to better mental health. STEM fields, several surveys show, not only can provide such factors as meaningful work, but they also, reportedly, have higher job satisfaction rates as compared to other fields.
STEM and mental health research
Results of numerous U.S. labor surveys, such as those in the Washington Post, Fast Money and INC, report that people in STEM fields tend to be at the top of the list in terms of finding the most satisfaction in their careers. Some STEM fields included physical therapists, analysts, IT specialists, and even less considered fields such as agriculture and farming. Of course, those feelings of satisfaction can be negated if your field is high stress or high stakes. Many STEM careers, such as health care, fall into that trap. That feeling of “imposter syndrome” for women in male-dominated careers is ever persistent for women in STEM as well. These surveys report, however, that the advantage of choosing a STEM field is that you have a transferable skill set. STEM fields, additionally, cut across all sectors from private to public. So, there are many opportunities to find your ideal position in your field of choice. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fields projected to have many openings, the fastest growth, and scalable wages fall under the STEM sector. In fact, as of 2022, the Bureau projected that 2 out of 3 jobs expected to grow over the next 10 years fall under STEM. Ten years may seem to be a long time from now, and the landscape of what is available today may not be available tomorrow. Yet, with a STEM foundation, the possibilities are endless. Let me share my journey as an example.
My journey
My journey in STEM started with reading science fiction – starting with the love of one of my favorite authors, Octavia Butler (one of the first African American female writers), and progressed into the love of the endless possibilities we, as humans, could achieve with tools in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) as well with art. I applied myself in grade school to all things science – particularly biology, math, and physics – and sought to become a doctor/science fiction writer. In college, unlike high school, I was overwhelmed by the rigors of biology and chemistry classes. Unsupported and adrift, I thought maybe science wasn't for me. So, I threw myself into arts and humanities and finished with a degree in history. As a curiosity, however, I took computer science courses in college and that landed me my 1st real job out of college as a web manager of a magazine.
With an undergrad degree in history, I thought I would be an academic or researcher, but coupled with STEM knowledge in coding, I landed in a STEM field and found my skills were transferable to many seemingly disparate industries from publishing to scientific research. I was able to utilized both my history background and coding knowledge in my STEM-related positions. I felt the world was wide-open, and I’ve been able to land on my feet throughout recessions and layoffs.
As I progressed in the field, I took more coding courses and practiced more programming language in my jobs. I’ve had the opportunity to work with magazines, artists, private companies, and government agencies. I have felt centered in my STEM foundation, even if some of the organizations and people for which I worked, were dysfunctional. I utilized, fully, the flexibility that having such a foundation afforded me. I moved, as needed, worked in places that gave me joy, and remained secure in my willingness to learn new technologies along the way. Admittedly my path was winding and roughly chaotic, at times. But I carved a path where I never felt limited in my choices, and it worked for me.
Your journey
Many assume that learning STEM is something that requires some special intelligence or extensive training, but it’s much less complicated. In my experience, it can be a daily practice. Whenever someone engages a tool or creative idea to a problem, they are in a STEM mindset; and taking that challenge to your daily activity is engaging in a STEM field. The most important challenge in finding your field and making it your life journey is to let your imagination fly. Look for activities that energize you, make you like yourself, stimulate your curiosity, make you ask that “what if?” question. For me, it was reading science fiction, but for you, it may be playing video games or watching movies, writing poetry or reciting them, creating art or “slaying” fashion. Whatever that activity may be, I’m sure there is a STEM career built for you, or you can build it yourself. Just engage in your passion and find your joy among the many opportunities that a STEM career can provide.