According to a recent study by Edutopia, college graduates with sophisticated knowledge of science, mathematics and engineering will fuel 80 percent of tomorrow’s most innovative jobs. And yes, this includes cloud computing. As we look to the future of computing, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the cloud will be the standard of computing going forward. To ensure that cloud technology keeps up with the high standards of science and engineering, we need to ensure that tomorrow’s students are getting the best in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educations. The biggest concerns among educators today is that students won’t be able to keep up with the breakneck speed at which technology as advancing. This is why there needs to be a significant re-shifted focus on STEM education.
The Current State of STEM education: The Numbers
The current levels of STEM education are a little concerning. In fact, as recent as 2011, it was reported by an ACT agency that only 45 percent of high school students were prepared for college-level math, and only 30 percent of high school students were prepared for intermediate-level science. Since the future of the cloud and other computing technologies largely depends on proficiency in STEM disciplines, it’s more important than ever to get students excited about science, math and technology.
Engaging Students in STEM Disciplines
The big problem is that there are so few students interested in pursuing a focus in the STEM disciplines. The largest companies in tech have taken notice of this problem, and are already making significant steps to combat this lack of interest. For instance, mobile phone manufacturer Samsung is taking proactive steps to engage students in the STEM disciplines with a STEM-based program called Solve for Tomorrow.
The gist of the program is that it provides an incentive for teachers and students to use STEM disciplines to actively explore issues within their communities and come up with tangible solutions for those problems. In reality, Samsung is cultivating an environment that promotes technological disruption, which is among the most useful skills that tomorrow’s tech leaders can foster.
How STEM Education Will Improve the Cloud
For starters, cloud computing was created by a bunch of IT professionals and engineers. Engineering and mathematics will play a huge world in the cloud of tomorrow. Additionally, STEM education will help ensure that the cloud continues to grow and expand at a sustainable rate while still becoming more sophisticated through advanced, innovative engineering.
While there is cause for some concern as to how students will adapt to tomorrow’s tech job market, there is a lot of hope, too. For instance, today’s students are among the most tech-savvy in the history of the modern world. They are smartphone experts and can often tech-support their way out of any software or hardware problem related to their mobile or computing devices. Really, the interest is there, it just needs to be redirected. Rather than simply knowing how a mobile device works, students must be motivated to understand why a device does what it does, and the development and engineering that goes into building their favorite apps and devices.
Kay Ackerman is a self-proclaimed tech geek and freelance writer, focusing on business technology, innovative marketing strategies, and small business. She contributes to www.technected.com and you can also find her on Twitter.
[Image Credit: Flickr User Frerieke]
