By Jazelle Reed on Jun 3rd 2010 5:34PM
Filed under: News, Education
African Americans have been missing out on jobs in the area of science, technology, engineering and math (summed up in the acronym STEM) for quite some time. Now is the time to put a stop to this startling trend. These jobs pay more than double in comparison to jobs in the service sector, which is traditionally where the highest concentration of African American employees are found. STEM jobs are important to the economy and our nation's future. Part of the reason they pay so well is because they create additional jobs through prompting innovation in various sectors, leading to overall economic growth.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov) engineering jobs pay an annual salary of $74,670. The average salary for math- and science-related occupations is $69,830, and the average tech salary is $67,010.
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Employment Around Globe
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Carl Louis searches for jobs at the New York State Department of Labor employment center on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Individuals looking for work can use the center to search for jobs, work on a resume and speak with employment professionals about gaining new skills. New Labor Department figures released today show that private payroll rose by 41,000, lowering the jobless rate to 9.7 percent from 9.9 percent. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Carl Louis
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Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
NEW YORK - JUNE 04: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 4, 2010 in New York City. Stocks fell sharply on Friday following news of a new four-year low for the euro and a poorer than expected jobs report. The Dow Jones industrial average lost as much as 337 points in late afternoon trading. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Jobs Around the World
STEM jobs require a college degree, which is a large factor in keeping many African Americans out of this sector. The percentage of African Americans with a college degree is roughly 27 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However, this low percentage can be changed via proper planning and preparation early on in the academic careers of black students, starting as early as the middle school years.
The creation of programs that prepare African Americans for jobs within these sectors is also helpful. For instance, the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) provides strategies for success in various careers, including engineering, accounting, medicine, law and more. More information can be found through various CSTEP programs within educational institutions around the country. Google "CSTEP" with the names of your local education organizations and universities for more information.
The Obama administration has been helpful in facilitating increased employment in these sectors. The president has backed a $250 million public-private partnership, which will train 10,000 new math and science teachers and more than 100,000 existing teachers in STEM subjects.
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Comments: (11)
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By: Eloise on 6/23/2010 3:07PM
Oh please. It's not that blacks don't major in STEM major fields. It's that even when they do, they still can't get the "white boys'" jobs. I'm Native American, dark-skinned, "look black" and have a degree in biology, but it's "just" a Bachelor's and can't find a job as so much as a Lab Tech to save my life. I spent most of my life wanting to be a high school science teacher which has bombed out because the only places that will hire me are San Francisco and New York City both of which are impossible to live on with a teachers' salary. So as I start to look for STEM jobs in the field instead of the classroom, I find that skin color rules us out, even if we are female and less of a perceived "threat to the White Man" in those fields. The STEM fields are predominantly WHITE male. They don't want anyone with brown skin, even female. When they see brown skin, even with the required degree, they hem and haw and act like our resume played "Guess Who's Coming to the Interview" and find other things to find fault with and either cease all communications afterwards or outright deny the job. There is a glass ceiling and a brick wall in the STEM fields if you are brown skinned, regardless of actual ethnicity. Anyone who "looks black" will find this. Even female.
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