There’s a deeper underlying issue of the destruction of America’s industrial base. Closing factories reflect an underlying shift in the nature of the economy and, consequently, our societal priorities. A telling symptom of this shift is that only 192,474 of American students pursue engineering degrees our of 3 million total degrees, a mere 6.4%. Not only that, but only 37% of those begin an engineering career after completing a degree. There is little incentive for students to pursue degrees in STEM when they’re unlikely to get jobs in the field.
There’s a deeper underlying issue of the destruction of America’s industrial base. Closing factories reflect an underlying shift in the nature of the economy and, consequently, our societal priorities. A telling symptom of this shift is that only 192,474 of American students pursue engineering degrees our of 3 million total degrees, a mere 6.4%. Not only that, but only 37% of those begin an engineering career after completing a degree. There is little incentive for students to pursue degrees in STEM when they’re unlikely to get jobs in the field.