Reply to My husband's gazillionaire financier friend told our kids to study engineering

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I've read a couple articles in the past year about how employers say that recent college grads, who for some time have been encouraged to major in "hard" science, engineering, math fields, are missing "soft" skills (communication, PR, etc.) and that it's a problem.  So there's that to consider as well.[/quote]

You're right. My DH is a senior manager in an IT firm and bemoans the fact that there are plenty of applicants (and employees) who have computer science, math, engineering degrees etc. but who are terrible, or at best mediocre, at interacting with their clients, writing e-mail that's clear and understandable, writing reports that are useful, etc. He feels that many colleges must be cranking out grads without any training in how to communicate their STEM work product so users, clients, budget officers etc. can use and understand it. The people who will really climb in their careers, and get out of the engineering or programming trenches, are the relative few who pair STEM knowledge with ability to function well as communicators. He says he is seeing that combination much less in recent years than he once did.[/quote]

Actually, opposite is happening in about the last 10 years. For example, the Harvard Business School applicant pool for 2+2 program consists of about 60-65% STEM graduates as opposed to 10-20% STEM graduates 10-15 years ago. Top law schools are also drawing more STEM graduates as well in the last 7-10 years or so. Science, math and technology are becoming more and more significant part of our society. Even top IBs and Consulting firms prefer STEM graduates and not business majors.[/quote]

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