The Non Shortage of STEM Graduates

In the good old days of my father, you would join a company for life. Dad worked 30+ years for Eastman Kodak retiring with a golden handshake. He had a job for life and the company took care of raises, savings, investing, pension, medical and dental care.

Today you are working on projects. The automobile industry went to this model first. Every year you look for a project on the next model year to be delivered. The company no longer guaranteed you a job unless you found a project.

My work experience is in varied industries and seven states. Been on my current job for 7 years, working my 9^th and 10^th projects for the same program. One year had 3 different managers and 3 senior managers while working on the same project.

The Atlantic has a very good article “The Myth of the Science and Engineering Shortage”. Forget the dire predictions of a looming shortfall of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians.  https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/the-myth-of-the-science-and-engineering-shortage/284359/

If there were a shortage of Engineers and Software Programmers, you would see salaries going up. “Salaries for STEM jobs in Decline” CIO.com reports “Though STEM-focused jobs experienced a slowdown, growing only 1 percent year-over-year, they're still near the top for wage growth. Since 2006, jobs in STEM fields have experienced growth of around 10 percent, according to the PayScale Index” in 2015. 1 percent salary growth is not showing a labor shortage, but an abundance of potential employees.

http://www.cio.com/article/2915869/careers-staffing/salaries-for-stem-jobs-in-decline.html

This supposed shortage is why H1B visas are offered. Instead H1B have been used to get businesses lower price help. My wife got her Masters in Business Administration in Oklahoma, and went to work under a H1B for mortgage companies originally earning low $30’s in California in 1998. Businesses have always worked to keep expenses low. Offshoring and H1Bs gave business more tools to lower labor costs.

If you are going to enjoy a long career in STEM, my advice is the same for most careers:

1. You need technical knowledge, and you need to keep learning. Budget time and money to keep your skills up to date. Paid to learn Solidworks on my own when closing my business and getting back into engineering. Take at least 2 classes or seminars and read a dozen books every year.
2. People skills are as important as technical skills. Stop your distractions and focus on the people in front of you. Meetings go quicker and more gets done.
3. Presenting your ideas is key to your success. Toastmasters is an invaluable way to learn speaking & presenting. I can talk to groups of a few hundred, and teach 2-3 hour training classes keeping people engaged and involved in learning. No problem speaking up or facilitating a meeting.
4. Networking is an invaluable career skill. Learn to meet people, make them confortable, connect them with others, and get business done. Act like a host and you will never be out of place.

 This post is a wake up call to new scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians who like me, lacked these skills coming out of college. The work world is not easy, and truly never was. Your advantage is being humble enough to learn new lessons.

Conceptualization The Most Important Skill

 Business (and life) is hard. Conditions are always changing. New customers have new needs and desires. Competition is always getting better and offering lower prices. Keeping your job requires flexibility, intelligence, persistence, quality work and caring. Knowing what needs to be done next is key to your success.

Abstract thinking is called Conceptualization. Defining conceptualization is subject to disagreement by experts and there is no degree in it. Probably because the uses vary depending on need.  Meridian Webster defines conceptualization “to form (an idea, picture, etc.) of something in your mind.” Math is a form of conceptualization.

Seeing what needs to be done next (planning) and problem solving are where you will see conceptualization applied. My usage has been developed through process planning, project management, and new product development. Visualizing 3D plus motion helped my engineering career.

Conceptualization is understanding how pieces fit together in a whole big picture. Then by manipulating the pieces you can optimize or improve the whole. Steve Jobs is famous for his visualization of how the future of technology should work and integrating existing technologies for the benefit of users.

Because the brain both thinks visually and in language, this is hard to teach. Different techniques have been developed to help us organize work for efficiency. Storyboards, Mind mapping, 5S, Lean, WIP boards, spreadsheets and project management all relate to conceptualization. Depending on your profession there are others you can use.

The best way to develop your skills is to apply them to your work. Albert Einstein called Imagination more important than knowledge. Users of conceptualization are found everywhere and often do not have the right degree. Presenting this skill through resumes is often unappreciated.

Yahoo Finance: “This one uberskill will always keep you employed”

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/this-one-uberskill-will-always-keep-you-employed-172655122.html

“the ability to see how the elements of an abstract whole fit together and to identify problems that need to be addressed before others do.”

How to Collaborate

First thing to do: Let the people know you are there to help, not to point fingers. 

(Focusing on processes is my viewpoint. People fail when not given the proper tools or training)

Ask questions and Listen thoroughly!!! The people working day to day are the best source of information. More viewpoints are better.

Define the purpose of the collaboration. So much time wasted with solutions for the wrong problem. A clearly defined purpose will lead to the right actions.

Come up with ideas, alternatives and combinations of steps. Root causes are usually the result of several factors, not just one. (Good ideas come from anywhere)

Decide on a plan to mitigate contributing factors and plan tests and monitoring to study the changes. Take actions with responsible people and deadlines. (Project management)

Follow up with all the people involved (Make sure they know their input and efforts are valued).

Review results looking for more improvements.

Focus on Being Good for Solutions

Been reading “The Myths of Innovation” by Scott Berkun (Have been a fan of Scott’s writing for several years www.scottberkun.com ), and he dispels the myth that there is one great epiphany moment that creates new products. Instead he shows through history all great ideas are preceded, followed or more likely surrounded with hard work.

Also every improvement overcomes people doubting it will work.

In addition even the person with the idea did not know all the ways any new invention could be used. Wilbur and Orville Wright did not imagine airmail, worldwide airlines, cargo services and millions of travelers daily. They were just the first to really control powered flight. A lot of work by many people has happened since then to create the world travel we take for granted.

Scott’s suggestion for creating innovations – focus on the simple language of problem, prototype, experiment, design and solution. The solution should benefit someone else and “do good”.

The other point is get started doing something, work in small teams, provide needed leadership, and be happy about interesting mistakes to learn from them. Interesting mistakes often become the innovations people think of like microwave ovens. You have to be aware and see why they did not fit your expectations.

So do something good, learn from it, and try to benefit people. Focus on being good, and who knows where that will take us in the future.

Solving the Energy Problem

Why do we want to solve the energy problem? Look at the risks of doing nothing. How much of our trade imbalance is based on oil? Oil is a significant threat to our economy and world peace.

Hugo Chavez in Venezuela has threatened to cut off oil to the US? Vladimir Putin and Russia has the power for using natural gas and oil over Europe. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using oil wealth to threaten destroying Israel and potentially starting a world war against the West?

Think about the war in Iraq? The fight between the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds is over religion, power and oil wealth. Iran, Syria and the terrorists are all interested in Iraq’s power and wealth.

How about a potential overthrow of the pro US government in Saudi Arabia? Al Qaeda was spawned under the House of Saud, and a large number of their citizens hate their government. What happens if they lose power?

Why should we continue to give money, political power, and an economic weapon to people who hate us? The current risk of supply problems is significant, and would damage our economy.

How much of our trade deficit is based on oil? The 12 months through November 2007 the US imported 3,647,889 barrels. Assuming the average price over 2007 was approximately $75 (Current prices are in the low $90’s), oil imported was approximately $273.5 billion in 2007. Our trade deficit in 2007 was $711.6 billion, making oil imports about 38% of the deficit.

To solve the oil problem, we need plans for the long term as well as the short term. This is a series of solvable projects that needs a long term vision to happen.

Short term actions:
Drill more domestic oil off all the coasts and in Alaska to cover the next decade. Everyone points to the potential for pollution. Oil drilling and transportation processes have improved dramatically over the last 50 years. The rare accidents are cleaned up quickly. Oil will always be needed for premium energy, plastics and products. The US needs to increase production.

Locate more natural gas reserves and develop pipelines to heat buildings and homes. Our infrastructure is reaching its limits, and needs expansion.

Find better ways to clean pollution from coal emissions, and require the whole world to use the technology (including China, India, Russia and developing countries) for a level playing field. China and India are causing three to ten times the pollution than the US. Why should we be held to higher unfair standards like the Kyoto protocol than the rest of the world?

About global warming:
Human caused global warming is not scientifically proved beyond a doubt. Global warming is a natural cycle with a little human contribution since the industrial revolution.

Why is a 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.5 degree Celsius) increase over 100 years traumatic? History shows a normal range of variation around 3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.7 degrees Celsius) in the last 2,000 years. Go back millions of years and the natural temperature variation is larger. The biggest factor related to global warming is the natural variation in the output from the Sun.

The fanatics are talking CO2 will destroy the world. People and animal exhale CO2. Are we talking about people and animals breathing CO2 being the main cause of a pending future natural disaster? I don’t think the world is that fragile.

If human kind is contributing less than 1% to 5% maximum of global warming, why are some panicking? Most of the research is based on computer models that are simpler than reality. These models do not work well when compared with current data. Look at the hurricane predictions from 2006 & 2007. The results missed reality going the wrong way from the faulty models. Most global warming models are based on faulty logic. The lack of good science is why I do not take global warming seriously as a panic.

Long term actions:
Generate more electricity using solar and nuclear. Solar electrical generation is finally becoming efficient enough to be cost effective. It could generate 10% of future needs as well as being pollution free. Tax incentives and private industries should be the source of solar products.

Nuclear energy is the choice of many countries including Canada, Britain, Spain and France. France generates 90% of their electricity from nuclear power. The plants in the US are aging, and need to be replaced with new, safer designs that are also more energy efficient soon. The older nuclear plants need to be retired for safety. Legal battles with environmental extremist have prevented new nuclear energy plants. We need to make nuclear power politically possible and economically feasible.

Convert hybrid cars to plug in hybrids to use less oil. This requires more electric generation from solar, coal and nuclear. Hybrids work because of the expanded range for practical transportation. Pure electric cars are too limited in distance for average commuting, and public transportation takes too much time for busy Americans to use. Most of us do not live near transportation that goes near our offices without doubling our commuting time. Time is our most valuable resource. This is why less than 3% ride public transit to work.

Create fuel cells to replace the gas engine generating electricity for hybrids. Fuel cells are getting close to being more economical for gasoline and alternative fuels like ethanol, natural gas and hydrogen.

Grow and develop grass based ethanol since corn based ethanol is too energy inefficient. Grass based ethanol generates much more energy than corn at a lower cost. We also need a pipeline system that carries ethanol. Transporting ethanol in trucks is too expensive and unreliable for extensive use.

The Results of Energy Independence Program:
A ten year program for energy independence will bring world oil back to $30 - $50 per barrel when the US stops importing oil. Dictators will have loss their income and a threat to use against the West. The possibility of war would be reduced. The American economy would improve with less trade imbalance.

The technology is there for everything proposed here. It takes a leader, political commitment, private and governmental investment, and the will to get it done. We are ready for the leadership to step up.

Getting Projects Done

When you want something bigger than a task done, something that will take longer than a couple days, you are getting into a project.

The main secret to success is to properly define the project. It is amazing how hard it is to complete something where you don’t know what it is suppose to look like!

So what does success look like? Define it. Is it a new product release with all marketing materials. Is it a new service as a business profit center? Is it increased profit margins for existing products or services? Are we changing the company culture? Is it a combination of several of these? Focus by defining what success will look like.

Focusing on defining success will motivate you to do break down the step of a project, overcome the problems that will, stay with a project until completion, and enjoy the fruits of success from getting projects done.