Roughly 30% of Americans say they would encourage high school students to seek jobs in a science, technology, engineering & math (STEM)- related field according to a report from the PEW Research Center.

Employment in the fields of engineering and software development are expected to grow by 23 percent between 2014 and 2024. This rate of growth is much faster than the 7 percent average for all other occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The average salary for these job titles ranges between $80,000 and $100,000 with only a bachelor’s degree.  The skills students obtain in STEM-related classes and activities go well beyond technological innovation.  Students are learning life lessons in classes where all of their skills are challenged.

Learning career-related insight is just part of what STEM classes teach a student. In most cases, STEM classes offer students real-world experience when it comes to hands-on problem-solving. Rather than a child learning by watching, they learn by doing.

Teamwork, problem identification, and solution building are all other STEM skills that people use in their everyday lives, whether or not their careers are related to STEM.

STEM degrees and STEM classes offer insight into the jobs of the future. These are the jobs that will help shape the world of tomorrow by contributing to new advances in technology, infrastructure, and even teaching.