STEM Delusions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With AI advancing rapidly, the U.S. should focus on developing and supporting highly/truly qualified American STEM students.

I disagree with the idea that American STEM talent is inferior or that the solution is simply to rely more heavily on international hiring. The top students are pretty capable. In many cases, outsourcing and contractor-heavy models are primarily used to suppress compensation.

My dad is a Physics Phd who supervised and befriended many immigrant PhD students at several major U.S. universities. Their performance in the workplace and their children's academic performance exceeds his own children's and grandchildren's performance.

I feel that weak US K-12 education is definitely implicated in holding US kids back. It starts with poor methods/poor curriculum. That encourages disinterest.

That said, no question that the US attracts many of the best and brightest from abroad. And the top 1% of very large populations is large in proportion to the number of born-here people.

It's not all about driving wages down.

You blame the curriculum when the actual issue is with the White families who do not prioritize a STEM education for their kids. Asian kids going through the same curriculum are doing alright. The issue is with White parents.

Asians lag in success after college though. They lag in LSAT performance as well.

What makes you say that?

LSAT scores
https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackLawAdmissions/comments/1eppiz8/lsat_percentiles_by_race/
https://www.lsac.org/sites/default/files/research/TR-26-01.pdf

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cba/annual-earnings

https://www.maxwell.syr.edu/research/article/new-evidence-on-the-underrepresentation-of-asian-americans-in-leadership-positions

Asians outperform white on SAT but there is no over performance on LSAT. So, perhaps underperformance is a strong word. But, they do not outperform on LSAT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How’s astrophysics and/or physics doing these days?

Pretty poorly. Someone will inevitably respond that they can just get finance jobs when those are some of the most competitive jobs around and mostly aren’t hiring physics grads who have pretty narrow skills coming out of undergrad. Research funding is being cut left and right unless it’s DOD or DOE funded, and even then, Trump is implicitly leaking that funding over to contractors and private industry.

I would just choose math at the undergrad level and hone in on probability, statistics, and differential equations

To what end professionally? Not being snarky--genuinely interested, as the math-dumb parent of a math major.

My biggest regret was majoring in pure math. They will call you "smart" but they won't know what do with you and won't hire you. Your supposedly "dumb" friends who studied business all go on to find jobs easily.

[Anonymous]

The issue might be the extractive, cruel, corrupt, rape-and-pillage rule of a transnational syndicate of perverted octogenarians and vainglorious technofascists who extract and hoard the world's wealth and resources while actively suppressing the power and possibility the rest of us might have to slow their roll.

Just a thought --

-- but there's more than a scintilla of a chance that it's total, totalitarian, totalizing domination or bust -- and our STEM kids' employment prospects are dust in the wind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With AI advancing rapidly, the U.S. should focus on developing and supporting highly/truly qualified American STEM students.

I disagree with the idea that American STEM talent is inferior or that the solution is simply to rely more heavily on international hiring. The top students are pretty capable. In many cases, outsourcing and contractor-heavy models are primarily used to suppress compensation.

My dad is a Physics Phd who supervised and befriended many immigrant PhD students at several major U.S. universities. Their performance in the workplace and their children's academic performance exceeds his own children's and grandchildren's performance.

I feel that weak US K-12 education is definitely implicated in holding US kids back. It starts with poor methods/poor curriculum. That encourages disinterest.

That said, no question that the US attracts many of the best and brightest from abroad. And the top 1% of very large populations is large in proportion to the number of born-here people.

It's not all about driving wages down.

You blame the curriculum when the actual issue is with the White families who do not prioritize a STEM education for their kids. Asian kids going through the same curriculum are doing alright. The issue is with White parents.

It's not that they don't emphasize STEM. They don't have to emphasize STEM. They don't emphasize rigor.

I’ve gotta agree with this one. Too many school districts and too many families do not push their children enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How’s astrophysics and/or physics doing these days?

Pretty poorly. Someone will inevitably respond that they can just get finance jobs when those are some of the most competitive jobs around and mostly aren’t hiring physics grads who have pretty narrow skills coming out of undergrad. Research funding is being cut left and right unless it’s DOD or DOE funded, and even then, Trump is implicitly leaking that funding over to contractors and private industry.

I would just choose math at the undergrad level and hone in on probability, statistics, and differential equations

To what end professionally? Not being snarky--genuinely interested, as the math-dumb parent of a math major.

My biggest regret was majoring in pure math. They will call you "smart" but they won't know what do with you and won't hire you. Your supposedly "dumb" friends who studied business all go on to find jobs easily.

I’ve found my math degree to carry me just fine. Started as an engineering type, move to operations modeling and the product development. Made seven figures as a tech exec for many years now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How’s astrophysics and/or physics doing these days?

Pretty poorly. Someone will inevitably respond that they can just get finance jobs when those are some of the most competitive jobs around and mostly aren’t hiring physics grads who have pretty narrow skills coming out of undergrad. Research funding is being cut left and right unless it’s DOD or DOE funded, and even then, Trump is implicitly leaking that funding over to contractors and private industry.

I would just choose math at the undergrad level and hone in on probability, statistics, and differential equations

To what end professionally? Not being snarky--genuinely interested, as the math-dumb parent of a math major.

My biggest regret was majoring in pure math. They will call you "smart" but they won't know what do with you and won't hire you. Your supposedly "dumb" friends who studied business all go on to find jobs easily.

I’ve found my math degree to carry me just fine. Started as an engineering type, move to operations modeling and the product development. Made seven figures as a tech exec for many years now.

Not sure how many years ago this was before the take off of the engineering degree, but prevalent engineering degrees in different fields will more often definitely have the advantage for "engineering type" jobs over a math major in the tech field. All you need to do is look at all the jobs postings for internships, co-ops etc. all stating preference for an engineering degree in whatever field they are looking for. I just feel these days coming out of college you would be more at a disadvantage at least at the start of your career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC wants to go into chemistry, with the ultimate goal of something like pharma/drug development or cosmeceuticals. Bad plan, considering everyone here seem to be saying Bio/chem have high unemployment levels?

There's a shortage of pharmacists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How’s astrophysics and/or physics doing these days?

Pretty poorly. Someone will inevitably respond that they can just get finance jobs when those are some of the most competitive jobs around and mostly aren’t hiring physics grads who have pretty narrow skills coming out of undergrad. Research funding is being cut left and right unless it’s DOD or DOE funded, and even then, Trump is implicitly leaking that funding over to contractors and private industry.

I would just choose math at the undergrad level and hone in on probability, statistics, and differential equations

To what end professionally? Not being snarky--genuinely interested, as the math-dumb parent of a math major.

My biggest regret was majoring in pure math. They will call you "smart" but they won't know what do with you and won't hire you. Your supposedly "dumb" friends who studied business all go on to find jobs easily.

Very true. My sibling was a physics major at a public ivy. I was a lowly BBA major from a regional B rated state u. Guess which of us makes more, and for a lot longer.

It's not just about the degree, but about the industry and soft skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With AI advancing rapidly, the U.S. should focus on developing and supporting highly/truly qualified American STEM students.

I disagree with the idea that American STEM talent is inferior or that the solution is simply to rely more heavily on international hiring. The top students are pretty capable. In many cases, outsourcing and contractor-heavy models are primarily used to suppress compensation.

My dad is a Physics Phd who supervised and befriended many immigrant PhD students at several major U.S. universities. Their performance in the workplace and their children's academic performance exceeds his own children's and grandchildren's performance.

I feel that weak US K-12 education is definitely implicated in holding US kids back. It starts with poor methods/poor curriculum. That encourages disinterest.

That said, no question that the US attracts many of the best and brightest from abroad. And the top 1% of very large populations is large in proportion to the number of born-here people.

It's not all about driving wages down.

You blame the curriculum when the actual issue is with the White families who do not prioritize a STEM education for their kids. Asian kids going through the same curriculum are doing alright. The issue is with White parents.

Asians lag in success after college though. They lag in LSAT performance as well.

Uh.. they are talking about STEM, and you bring in the LSAT?

Asian Americans as a whole are more educated and have higher income than any other group, and that's in part because a large % of them go into STEM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How’s astrophysics and/or physics doing these days?

Pretty poorly. Someone will inevitably respond that they can just get finance jobs when those are some of the most competitive jobs around and mostly aren’t hiring physics grads who have pretty narrow skills coming out of undergrad. Research funding is being cut left and right unless it’s DOD or DOE funded, and even then, Trump is implicitly leaking that funding over to contractors and private industry.

I would just choose math at the undergrad level and hone in on probability, statistics, and differential equations

To what end professionally? Not being snarky--genuinely interested, as the math-dumb parent of a math major.

My biggest regret was majoring in pure math. They will call you "smart" but they won't know what do with you and won't hire you. Your supposedly "dumb" friends who studied business all go on to find jobs easily.

I’ve found my math degree to carry me just fine. Started as an engineering type, move to operations modeling and the product development. Made seven figures as a tech exec for many years now.

Not sure how many years ago this was before the take off of the engineering degree, but prevalent engineering degrees in different fields will more often definitely have the advantage for "engineering type" jobs over a math major in the tech field. All you need to do is look at all the jobs postings for internships, co-ops etc. all stating preference for an engineering degree in whatever field they are looking for. I just feel these days coming out of college you would be more at a disadvantage at least at the start of your career.

It wasn’t that long ago. I worked in industrial engineering which is easier to do. I also majored in applied math rather than pure math and had a pretty heavy CS component in my degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How’s astrophysics and/or physics doing these days?

Pretty poorly. Someone will inevitably respond that they can just get finance jobs when those are some of the most competitive jobs around and mostly aren’t hiring physics grads who have pretty narrow skills coming out of undergrad. Research funding is being cut left and right unless it’s DOD or DOE funded, and even then, Trump is implicitly leaking that funding over to contractors and private industry.

I would just choose math at the undergrad level and hone in on probability, statistics, and differential equations

To what end professionally? Not being snarky--genuinely interested, as the math-dumb parent of a math major.

My biggest regret was majoring in pure math. They will call you "smart" but they won't know what do with you and won't hire you. Your supposedly "dumb" friends who studied business all go on to find jobs easily.

Very true. My sibling was a physics major at a public ivy. I was a lowly BBA major from a regional B rated state u. Guess which of us makes more, and for a lot longer.

It's not just about the degree, but about the industry and soft skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC wants to go into chemistry, with the ultimate goal of something like pharma/drug development or cosmeceuticals. Bad plan, considering everyone here seem to be saying Bio/chem have high unemployment levels?

There's a shortage of pharmacists.

Because of large corporations aggressively cornering the market to be exclusive prescription providers for large health insurance companies, pharmacists are increasingly overworked and micromanaged.

In the last 25 years, a bunch jf pharmacy schools opened and existing ones expanded their enrollment. It was something crazy like from 25,000 enrolled across the country to 50,000. So there went from a shortage to a glut of pharmacist.

For how much pharmacy schools cost and what you get paid plus the work conditions at so many pharmacies, totally not worth it. Maybe if you get a better job at a hospital or non-chain pharmacy it would be better, but it looks like a pretty miserable job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC wants to go into chemistry, with the ultimate goal of something like pharma/drug development or cosmeceuticals. Bad plan, considering everyone here seem to be saying Bio/chem have high unemployment levels?

They should definitely study chemical engineering then and try to go to a top program for that.