want a peek at the digital intro version of this issue ... · 4 early fall 2016 // stemjobs.com...

STEMJOBS.COM // EARLY FALL 2016 3

INTRO // WHAT’S INSIDE?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WANT A PEEK AT THE DIGITAL VERSION OF THIS ISSUE?

GO TO STEMJOBS.COM/early-fall-16!

06 STEM MYTHS BUSTED STEM isn’t boring. // 07 GEARING UP FOR MANUFACTURING DAY Mark your calendars. 08 ENGINEERS WORK HARD TO KEEP TWITTER TWEETING Who makes Twitter work?

10 STEM BUILDING BLOCKS OF PINTEREST What’s behind the pin? // 12 THE PROFESSIONAL SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIA Connect like a pro. 14 HOT SOCIAL MEDIA JOBS Work the network. // 16 TAKING THE PLUNGE INTO AN OCEAN CAREER Dive in!

18 LIFE-SAVING STEM FOR THE SEA Save sea creatures for a living. // 20 HOT SEA JOBS Get your feet wet. 22 BUILDING A BETTER STEM-BASED BATTING AVERAGE Step up your swing game.

24 STEM TURNS SCREENS INTO GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS These screens are BIG! 26 HOT SPORTS JOBS Get ahead of the game. // 28 BEING ALL THAT THEY CAN BE WITH SPACE CAREERS IN THE ARMY Real-life space soldiers. 30 REDEFINING THE FACE OF STEM IN SPACE Want your work to reach the stars? // 31 FROM RACE CARS TO ROCKETS A career fueled by STEM.

32 HOT SPACE JOBS Jobs where no one has gone before.

WHAT’S INSIDE?

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4 EARLY FALL 2016 // STEMJOBS.COM STEMJOBS.COM // EARLY FALL 2016 5

INTRO // THE CREW

WHO MAKES IT HAPPEN?

STEM JobsSM Magazine is published four times a year by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business, 420 Rouser Road, Building 3, Suite 101, Moon Township, PA 15108, tel: (412) 269-1663, fax: (412) 269-1646. The inclusion of advertising is considered a service and is not an endorsement of products nor concurrence with advertising claims. STEM JobsSM is a servicemark of Victory Media, copyright ©2014-2016.

No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without the permission of Victory Media.

WHAT DOES THE “S” IN STEM MEAN TO YOU?

STEM JOBS ADVISORY COUNCILSENIOR CONSULTANT, MAHER & MAHER

DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT,

NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR PARTNERSHIPS IN EQUITY

FOUNDER, STEM VISIONS

ASSOCIATE PROVOST AND DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES,

NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

COLORADO STEM POLICY AND SUSTAINABILITY

Terri Lonowski Meagan Pollock, Ph.D. Gretchen Ramey Jaleh Rezaie John Sepich

EARLY FALL 2016

SOCIAL MEDIA // SEA // SPORTS // SPACE

CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT ’EMTHE VOICE OF VICTORY

MAN WITH THE PLANE.P. PHONE HOME

WEB GUYPIXEL ENFORCER

VIDEO DUDE PRINCIPAL

MONEY BAGS HR MINION HELP DESK

MEDIA WHIZ MEDIA WHIZ SIDEKICK

Susan Matis Sean McAlisterEllen Pomerantz Ian BlythJoe Maiocco Anthony Vingas Jolene Jefferies JoAnn ConnerMelanie Tolchin Courtney Miller Barbara Pflughaupt Gabrielle Torello

THEY PUT THIS TOGETHEROUR LEADER

SUPERINTENDENT DEAN OF BUSINESS

ADOBE WAN KENOBICAPTAIN CONTENT

GRAMMER GURU

Daniel Nichols Rich McCormack Chris Hale Mike Asper Ellen EgleyDan Fazio

HIT ’EM UP FOR ACCESSTOP DOG

NATIONAL TREASURE LOCAL CELEBRITY

Jeff BucklewJohn Amabile John Ferretti

SM

“SUPERHEROES—HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT THE BEST OF THEM EMERGE FROM SOMETHING STEM-RELATED? SPIDER-MAN’S RADIOACTIVE SPIDER BITE, IRON MAN’S SUIT, CAPTAIN AMERICA’S SUPER-SOLDIER SERUM ... THE LIST GOES ON.”

“SCIENTIFIC METHOD - IT’S THE AGE-OLD PROCEDURE WITH WHICH WE SOLVE PROBLEMS AND ANSWER QUESTIONS.”

“SLEEP. THERE IS SO MUCH SCIENCE BEHIND IT ... AND I WISH I HAD MORE OF IT!”

“I OFTEN THINK OF SPACE—THE FINAL FRONTIER. TOO MANY STAR TREK AND LOST IN SPACE RE-RUNS WHEN I WAS A KID ...”

“FOR ME, THE “S” STANDS FOR SPACE. I ALWAYS THOUGHT BEING AN ASTRONAUT WAS THE

ONLY WAY TO HAVE A SPACE CAREER, BUT THERE ARE TONS OF JOBS HERE ON EARTH THAT

ALLOW SPACE EXPLORATION TO HAPPEN!”

“BASICALLY ANYTHING THAT JORDY DID IN THE ENGINE ROOM ON STAR TREK.”

“S” CONJURES UP MEMORIES OF THERMODYNAMICS CLASSES IN COLLEGE

AS IT’S THE SYMBOL FOR ENTROPY.”

“SOUND. FROM CONCERTS/ENTERTAINMENT, NATURE, LANGUAGE

AND COUNTLESS OTHER EXAMPLES.”

BACK TO SCHOOL!

ELLEN EGLEYEducation Manager // STEM JobsSM

INTRO // LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

BACK TO SCHOOL!

Hello and welcome to the start of another amazing year with STEM Jobs! My name is Ellen and I’m the Education Manager for STEM Jobs. The start of the school year is a time of both excitement and nervousness. Teachers have spent weeks or even months preparing to launch a new year - with new students, new techniques, new tools, and renewed hopes of making an impact on the lives of the young people with whom they’ll spend hundreds, if not thousands, of hours over the next nine months. All of that hard work and preparation is starting to show now that students have stepped into new classrooms and are finding their way in new subjects.

I remember those days well - and I loved my time teaching in the public school system. Students were full of joy and excitement about learning. Their enthusiasm for figuring out how everything works was infectious and inspired me to work even harder to ensure I was the best teacher I could be.

Flash forward to the present - I’m in a completely different role, but still filled with excitement for the new school year and having the opportunity to, once again, make a big impact on students through this magazine and all of the cool STEM stuff we’re going to be showing you this year.

Throughout the year, we’ll be taking a crack at redefining the STEM acronym by demonstrating that STEM really is in everything. Instead of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, we’re going to show you how STEM can also stand for Space, Travel, Entrepreneurship, and Music. We’re also going to be busting some STEM myths. For instance, did you know that you don’t need a bachelor’s degree for about 70 percent of the high-paying and high-demand STEM careers out there? Well, it’s true!

I hope that you’re excited to come along with us on this journey as we explore some pretty amazing STEM careers. I can’t wait to show you everything we’ve been working on over the summer. Ultimately, I’m most excited to continue to show you how it really is possible to find a job where you get to #DoWhatYouLove!

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!GUEST STARS Dorothy Crouch

Sue Hamilton

WANT TO SEE A DIGITAL VERSION OF A RECENT ISSUE OF STEM JOBS?

GO TO STEMJOBS.COM/the-mag!CHECK OUT WHAT’S COMING UP LATER THIS SCHOOL YEAR IN STEM JOBS:

LATE FALL 2016 - REDEFINING THE “T” EARLY SPRING 2017 - REDEFINING THE “E” LATE SPRING 2017 - REDEFINING THE “M”

• Trade Schools• Tech (Personal)• Tourism• Transportation

• Manufacturing• Medicine• Money• Music

• Environment• Education• Energy• Entrepreneurship

MYTH 1: STEM careers are boring and only nerds can get them.

REALITY: There are STEM careers in almost every industry, including the ones you’re passionate about. STEM skills open doors to careers in all fields.


SPECIAL FEATURE // MANUFACTURING

GEARING UP FOR MANUFACTURING DAY

National Manufacturing Day was first celebrated in 2011 and typically occurs on the first Friday in October each year, but any day can be Manufacturing Day! This year’s national event takes place on Oct. 7 and, according to mfgday.com, is “a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers.”

STEM Jobs spoke with Katie Hager, workforce development manager at DMI Companies, and Scott Dietz, manager of workforce initiatives at Catalyst Connection, to gain an understanding of what this day hopes to accomplish.

DMI Companies, a family owned company started in 1978, is the largest heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) components manufacturer in North America - and one of the largest in the world.

Catalyst Connection is a private not-for-profit organization headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., that provides consulting and training services to small manufacturers with the goal of accelerating revenue growth and improving productivity.

STEM JOBS: Why is Manufacturing Day important?SCOTT: Manufacturing Day is important for two reasons. The first is that it provides a starting point for manufacturing companies to engage with their local schools, teachers, parents, or community at large in a relatively low-risk, low-time commitment way. Manufacturers need talent and they need to let people

Gearing Up for Manufacturing DayBY ELLEN EGLEY

depleting the existing workforce. Due to all of these factors, there are expected to be about 2 million manufacturing jobs that will go unfilled in the next 10 years if we cannot show parents, students, and teachers that modern manufacturing is a wonderful career opportunity.

In reality, the average salary in manufacturing is 20 percent higher than the overall average salary. The U.S. produces almost 20 percent of all global manufactured products, which makes it the world’s largest manufacturing economy and a very stable career choice. The technology and innovation behind modern manufacturing makes it an extremely exciting field with much more diverse career offerings than in the past. Many high-demand manufacturing jobs do not require a four-year degree. This means that students can avoid the monstrous student loan debt of college and still get a good-paying job with a future where they are doing something they enjoy.

SJ: How can students get involved in Manufacturing Day?K: Go to mfgday.com for a list of events and more information. When you go to an event, ask lots of questions, get information on work experience and training opportunities, then share your experience with your parents, teachers, and friends.S: Students can look online at the wide array of programs and resources available related to National Manufacturing Day. But it is more important that parents, teachers, and administrators make efforts to get the students to these events, show the videos in the classrooms, and begin a dialog with their students about these exciting career opportunities. If your school isn’t doing anything around Manufacturing Day, speak up!

know about the opportunities they provide. Secondly, it is important because it provides an opportunity for students and educators to see what manufacturing is really like today by getting out of the four walls of their building and exploring.KATIE: Manufacturing Day gives us the opportunity to showcase the realities of modern manufacturing. Students, parents, and teachers get to see for themselves the technological, environmental, and lifestyle advances that have been made in our industry in the past few decades. They also get to see firsthand the variety of career opportunities available and what their future could hold if they choose a career in manufacturing.

American manufacturing is facing a serious skills shortage due to many factors. Worldwide demand for manufactured goods has increased. Many U.S. manufacturing operations have moved back to the United States and companies from other countries have increased manufacturing operations in the United States. Many manufacturing jobs involve heavy use of technology, software, and skilled trades. People still tend to think of manufacturing as the boring, dirty, and dangerous jobs of many years ago. They also think it does not provide the wages and benefits that can support a good lifestyle. This causes many students and parents to dismiss the idea of a career in manufacturing. Lastly, the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation is progressively

SPECIAL FEATURE // STEM MYTHS BUSTED

STEM ISN’T BORING

FACT: Three out of four people with STEM degrees are recruited into non-STEM fields because of the skills they possess - skills that other workers lack. EXAMPLES: A: Music - Acoustic Engineer - Control, manipulate, and even eliminate noise to create the ultimate sound experience in auditoriums and concert venues. B: Sports - Sabermetrics Statistician - Analyze statistics in baseball such as batting average and pitching tendencies to help teams make sound decisions. C: Fashion - Apparel Design Assistant - Combine your artistic eye and your 3-D design skills to assist designers in converting their sketches into computer models for simulation and marketing. D: Soft skills like communication, collaboration, creativity, data analysis, problem-solving, and critical thinking are developed in STEM classes and are in high demand in the work force.

There are a lot of myths out there about STEM careers and the path students should take after high school. These myths are accepted as fact and feed into each other - causing students to miss out on opportunities to do what they love. Let’s bust some common STEM myths.

MYTH 1

REALITY

1

FACT

A

B

C D

STEM MYTHS BUSTED WANT TO LEARN MORE? GO TO

STEMjobs.com/manufacturing-day


As you read this magazine about the great STEM jobs out there, your Twitter feed is probably rolling on your cell phone, keeping you up-to-the-second in tweets with friends, media headlines, and celebrities. You and your friends all have Twitter accounts and you’re following over 100 others, just hanging out with almost anyone you choose, no matter where they are in the world.

But who makes Twitter work?Almost 4,000 employees in 25

offices worldwide make it work for the more than 310 million monthly Twitter users. Two of those employees are engineers who work in different ways at the company, headquartered in San Francisco.

JAN CHONG: DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING FOR THE TWITTER MOBILE APPS AND THE TWITTER WEBSITEThe organization she heads is responsible for new features for Twitter for Apple’s iOS, Twitter for Android, and Twitter.com. New features added under her leadership are the ability to add stickers to photos or to tweet hashtags that generate custom emoji. “A

lot of people are involved,” Jan reports. “Getting tweets to your phone or web browser is harder than it looks, especially since tweets show up in real time!”

She is especially proud of a system she helped to create at Twitter that balances their testing time with rapid releases for the company’s mobile applications. Several teams worked on the new plan that allowed development of apps on a large scale by many developers at Twitter using a shared code base. They have met their goal of getting new functions to their users quickly while making sure that the app is of high quality and doesn’t interfere with a Twitter feature you already have and like to use.

Jan’s interest in computer science began when she took an AP class in high school at the suggestion of her father. “It taught me to not be afraid of programming,” she explains. But the most challenging part of her job is that technology is ever-changing. Even her father, who encouraged that computer science class, warned her: “If you choose that field, you’ll have to constantly learn everything all over again.” Jan admits her father was right. “When I

was in high school, the idea that you could, from anywhere in the world, pull a phone out of your pocket and post a 140-character message with photos and emojis that people everywhere could read would have been crazy!”

Although Jan earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science, as well as a doctorate in management science and engineering from Stanford University, she got a clear sense of what she wanted to do through a series of internships at start-up companies, Microsoft, and a consulting firm. If you are interested in a social media career, Jan advises you “Play! Do! Try! Build a simple website. Write a simple mobile app. Then keep going. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Doing something simple is the first step to doing it well.”

MEGHA BANGALORE: SOFTWARE ENGINEER ON THE DIGITS TEAM FOR TWITTER’S FABRIC ORGANIZATION Fabric is Twitter’s mobile developer platform, and Digits provides user verification and phone number log-in. Megha’s role with Twitter is to create technical designs for company projects.

SOCIAL MEDIA // TWITTER

WHO MAKES TWITTER WORK?

Engineers Work Hard to Keep Twitter Tweeting

BY SUE HAMILTON

She implements and maintains backend services - the server side of applications - using Scala, a general purpose programming language, and also “frontend services,” using Android to develop what is seen on your mobile device.

“My entire job,” explains Megha, “could be considered ‘problem solving’ - from figuring out what to build, how to build it, to fixing the bugs and errors that come up along the way.” She also values her skill at experimentation, which taught her the importance of metrics. “The best way to prove to yourself and others that something works as intended is to get the numbers to validate it!” Twitter keeps detailed records and uses that data to make decisions about their technology, sales, and hiring processes.

STEM roles at Twitter, according to Megha, include the hardware engineers managing the data centers and other physical infrastructure, software engineers and data scientists who analyze the data collected to guide new features and improve user experiences, and machine learning experts who help to improve automation. Megha worked for a tech start-up company right out of high school, working with user interface design and server applications. Her education followed and she earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science from Oxford University. She was drawn to her career in social media because of the technical challenge of dealing with both extremely large-scale traffic and real-time delivery to users.

SOCIAL MEDIA’S FUTURE: DO YOU SEE YOURSELF TAKING A STEM ROLE IN SOCIAL MEDIA? Both Jan and Megha envision it bringing people even closer as they stay in touch through Twitter and other social media throughout the world. “I think (social media) will become a crucial way in which we interact with our world and become much more mainstream to minimize physical distances between people,” says Megha. Jan agrees. “As technology advances, people will embrace forms of expression to increase shared experiences that transcend time and distance.” They see the challenge for social media companies as searching out the relevant content from the ever-increasing large data pipelines with new programming languages and new technologies that don’t even exist today.

When you create your next tweet with a catchy hashtag, know that those in STEM roles at Twitter work very hard to make it easy for you to do it. Oh - and follow us @stem_jobs!

MEGHA BANGALORESOFTWARE ENGINEER

DEGREES: BA COMPUTER SCIENCE MA COMPUTER SCIENCE

YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 10+STEM TYPE: EXPLORER AND MAKER

JAN CHONGDIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING

DEGREES: BS COMPUTER SCIENCE, MS COMPUTER SCIENCE,

PH.D MANAGEMENT SCIENCE & ENGINEERINGYEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 8+

STEM TYPE: EXPLORER

TWITTER, TWEET, RETWEET and

the Twitter logo are trademarks

of Twitter, Inc. or its affiliates.

You need to follow @stem_jobs on Twitter.


As one of the most popular contemporary applications, Pinterest allows members to share pins - image-centric, informative posts - with each other. The company’s mission is to serve as “…the world’s catalog of ideas…recipes, parenting hacks, style inspiration, and other ideas to try.”

Managing the “world’s catalog of ideas” requires a passion for computer science, combined with a thirst for being a part of the constantly evolving world of technology. Pinterest software engineer Maesen Churchill spoke with STEM Jobs to discuss the future of this technology and how she attained a coveted position with one of the Internet’s most famous sites.

“I’ve always loved problem-solving. I took an introductory course in computer science in college, based on interest. I ended up liking it and continued on. After completing a technical internship, I decided I wanted to be a software developer. I was drawn to Pinterest because I like the idea of inspiring people to discover new things. Plus, I loved using the app myself.”

Though many college students enter school uncertain of how they want to spend their post-graduate career,

SOCIAL MEDIA // PINTEREST

WHAT’S BEHIND THE PIN?

STEM Building Blocks of Pinterest

BY DOROTHY CROUCH

key ingredient for success is anticipating where the technology industry is headed next. As a forward-thinking STEM professional, Churchill recognizes that while these technologies serve billions of people around the world, the next trend will be the ability of apps to anticipate the personal preferences of users.

“I think social media will become more personalized. Apps like Pinterest will get even smarter at showing you content that is very relevant to you. I also think the way we ‘talk to’ our apps will become more conversational. I think that we will increasingly interact with technology using natural language and gestures.”

It’s no surprise that some of Churchill’s greatest professional accomplishments center on increasing the ability of Pinterest to predict a user’s intentions. Through launching features that decipher between the search for a fellow Pinner, rather than a Pin, and other components that display trending Pinterest topics, Churchill has evolved into a major engineering player at the company and encourages other young technology enthusiasts to start building.

“There are lots of things you could do! I would suggest reading more about careers in technology. Lots of companies, like Pinterest, have engineering blogs that give you a window into what their STEM folks work on. Or, you could consider taking a programming or design course online, or building your own app or website.”

Remember, there are many paths available that allow you to #DoWhatYouLove.

When confronted with a problem, Churchill uses Pinterest’s theory of “building LEGOs.” On the company’s site, Pinterest reveals, “...we get inspired knowing that each line of code isn’t just code, it’s a building block for helping people discover, save, and do things they love.” By thinking of LEGOs to signify the parts of a particular issue, the team’s engineers visualize dissembling the components of the problem. Through conducting thorough research, the team eventually adds each refined part to build a new, innovative feature.

“My team is responsible for search features like autocomplete and spell correction, recommended searches, and search guides. I do several different things at my job: I design and propose projects, like new features to build for the site. I analyze how much impact a new feature might have and estimate how much work it will take. If I need help from other engineers or designers, I make sure they’re on board. I then write code to get the feature running and begin testing it.”

As Pinterest’s following comprises users who are heavily involved in creating the site’s content, conducting research with members of the community is the best method of improving its technology. Churchill reveals that select Pinners (Pinterest users) are chosen to use new features during trials.

“Oftentimes, we try out new features on a small group of Pinners to see how they perform and get feedback. If a feature performs well, we send it out to everyone!”

Though a current project might be pressing and problems with the existing system must be solved, a

“WE GET INSPIRED KNOWING THAT EACH LINE OF CODE ISN’T JUST CODE, IT’S A BUILDING BLOCK FOR HELPING PEOPLE DISCOVER, SAVE, AND DO THINGS THEY LOVE.”MAESEN CHURCHILLSOFTWARE ENGINEERDEGREES: BACHELOR’S AND MASTER’S IN COMPUTER SCIENCEYEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 1STEM TYPE: MAKER

many technology professionals cite their lifelong interest in activities that apply to this area of STEM. Unlike many other STEM professions, technology skills can be self-taught and students are able to excel if they have a passion for this subject.

“Most of my co-workers have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or computer engineering. However, some studied other subjects in school, like physics, and others taught themselves how to code.”

Armed with her affinity toward problem-solving, Churchill entered an internship that provided her with an education in applying the code of other engineers. She also gained the confidence to do something that many dedicated professionals - especially those with keen problem-solving chops - find difficult: asking questions and accepting help for the good of the project.

“I had to learn the technology on my own in order to complete my projects. In one of my internships, I was working on an iOS app, but I had never taken an iOS programming class! While challenging, these experiences were very rewarding.”


Chances are good that an adult you know is one of the over 400 million members of LinkedIn in more than 200 countries who use the site for both social and professional networking.

LinkedIn users can find jobs and employers can list job openings. Because LinkedIn is a true networking tool, users can connect with a company or to a line of work in which they are interested to get an introduction to a hiring manager. Forbes magazine in 2012 reported “LinkedIn is, far and away, the most advantageous social networking tool available to job seekers and business professionals today.”

This company, however, has another service to offer. All of the information, or data, that is collected from its users provides a valuable resource for LinkedIn’s clients who are looking to create jobs.

Rachel Bowley, an insights analyst, talent solutions with LinkedIn, is behind the scenes at this social media company helping their clients to make important business decisions based upon her analysis of the data the company has available through its users. “Numbers can be intimidating for some, especially those not in STEM-based positions,”

I just got endorsed for ‘Pokémon

Training!’

SOCIAL MEDIA // LINKEDIN

CONNECT LIKE A PRO

The Professional Side of Social MediABY SUE HAMILTON

she explains. “When I can do it successfully, it’s extremely rewarding knowing I’ve empowered someone to be more data-driven and comfortable with the numbers.”

Those numbers Rachel is talking about can, for example, assist a client who must hire a large sales force in the United States. “My job as an insights analyst is to analyze the supply and demand of sales professionals on LinkedIn,” reports Rachel, and she can use this information to advise them on the best location to find those salespeople and the best way to reach the potential employees needed.

Her job actually revolves around analyzing the data in the LinkedIn databases and using her technical skills to help her company and other businesses “make smarter, data-driven decisions,” reports Rachel. She is especially proud of a training program she conducted at LinkedIn through which she taught a team of 40 employees basic technical skills she has crafted to be

able to look at information, understand it, and use it as the basis for planning.

Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts degree in statistical science, and although others in her line of work come from many different educational backgrounds, she advises those interested in data analysis to get a four-year college degree in a technical field such as statistics, economics, or math.

She worked part time while in college at a research center that focused on economic and social development issues for governments, foundations, and international organizations. “This was a huge learning experience for me that helped me realize I could use my skillset to tackle complex, global issues,” she said. “When I began working at LinkedIn, I discovered the power of using technology and social media to scale my impact to hundreds of millions of people.” Her career combining research and analysis is a perfect fit.

Rachel explains that social media generates so much data that she can learn to understand human behavior, as well as make an impact on the world, just from knowing how to analyze it. “One of the most challenging aspects of my job is working with non-technical teams to help them understand what the data is saying and why it is important.”

LinkedIn offers many STEM roles, including engineering, web development, and data science. Rachel reports “It’s an exhilarating time to be in a STEM-related career, especially as each day seems to bring new and exciting developments in the world of technology.” She encourages students interested in a social media career to talk to people with experience in social media, or find an internship to get a taste of what a job in social media is like.

While you may not be ready to use a service like LinkedIn until you enter the workforce, remember that all social media is a networking tool. The things you post today could be seen by future employers, so begin thinking about what you want your social media footprint to look like. The Internet provides many opportunities to hone your STEM skills and show them off to the world!

“IT’S AN EXHILARATING TIME TO BE IN A STEM-RELATED CAREER, ESPECIALLY AS EACH DAY SEEMS TO BRING NEW AND EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY.”

RACHEL BOWLEYINSIGHTS ANALYST, TALENT SOLUTIONSDEGREE: BACHELOR’S IN STATISTICAL SCIENCEYEARS IN THE INDUSTRY: 3STEM TYPE: EXPLORER

LOVE SOCIAL MEDIA AND WANT TO FIND OUT MORE? GO TO STEMjobs.com/social-media-makers!


HOT JOBS // SOCIAL MEDIA

WORK THE NETWORK

WILL I LIKE IT?

MEDIAN SALARY

STEM TYPE

SCHOOLS THAT TRAIN

WHO’S HIRING

WHAT WILL I DO?

STEM JOBS BY SALARYSOCIAL MEDIA

HOT

WANT TO KNOW YOUR STEM TYPE? LOG ON TO STEMTYPE.STEMJOBS.COM

TO FIND IT!

With a deep knowledge of social media branding, blogging, coding, and design, you are a brand ambassador, building the online presence of your company through memes, videos, and social media posts. Paid to be in the know, you are aware of breaking news, yet only tell the stories that are relevant to your company’s mission.

Integrator

$50,956

Your friends are everywhere: Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and Tumblr.

• Arcadia University• Aurora University• Delaware State University

• Snapchat • Tumblr• Twitter

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

• Aiken Technical College• Iowa Central Community College• Salt Lake Community College

The installation, maintenance, and repair of your company’s media platforms are your responsibility. Remaining familiar with advancements in software, equipment, and technology is a key responsibility of your job. Limiting your education to current technologies would damage your career, therefore you must continue learning about fresh, new platforms.

$55,000

You know how things work, how to fix them, and how to make them better.

MEDIA SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN

Solver

• Google+• Pinterest• Reddit

In this role, you will dive into advertiser data and closely examine trends in analytics. After identifying trends, you will strategize to develop actions for maximizing reach of advertiser brands and suggest changes to attain client goals.

$74,193

The blog you started in elementary school has a business plan and paid advertisers.

• University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg • Southeastern Louisiana University• Southeast Missouri State University

BRAND OPTIMIZATION ANALYST

Investigator

• Facebook• Pinterest• Twitter

Meeting with your company’s executive dreamers, you will take their concepts and create a tangible design to breathe life into new ideas. Tapping into your product, interaction, and visual design skills, you shine most when fully invested in developing new creations and refining new products.

$74,286

You asked for a “Build Your Own Blueprint” kit for your 5th birthday.

• Academy of Art University• Richland College • Arapahoe Community College

PRODUCT DESIGNER

Designer

• Facebook• Instagram• Pinterest

Integrator

• Facebook• Instagram• LinkedIn

The perfect blend of outgoing sales professional and passionate technology enthusiast, you will be the intermediary between these two departments. Working with marketing teams to determine client needs and engineers to develop capabilities that meet demand, this role allows you to be the tech-savvy marketing maven that is comfortable chatting during a business lunch and sitting in a lab examining infrastructure.

$85,800

You love to talk - especially if it’s about tech.

• Arizona State University• John Carroll University• Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville

PARTNER PROGRAM ANALYST

Investigator

• Facebook• LinkedIn• Tumblr

$86,882

You don’t just people watch. You study their behavior for fun.

• Kean University• Youngstown State University • Carnegie Mellon University

It’s your job to find out what users want and share these findings with your colleagues who can give it to them. Through conducting research and studies, you will compile data regarding user experiences, ultimately increasing engagement through improved products.

UX RESEARCHER

Build on your own and get some things published! There is also training at places like the Academy of Art University and East Tennessee State University.

$87,000

Beating every game in the history of gaming is your ultimate life goal.

Designer

• Facebook

Working with other designers who are passionate gaming enthusiasts, you will collaborate to build entertaining and engaging products. You will implement game mechanics and edit products throughout the production process, while maintaining usability and quality.

LEAD GAME DESIGNER

• Youngstown State University • Western New England University• Winona State University

$100,690

When you encounter a problem, you create an app to solve it.

Designer

• Instagram• LinkedIn• Tumblr

You will use your creativity and computer know-how to create and improve the programs that keep everyone connected. You will combine feedback from UX researchers and data scientists with your superior programming skills to make computer software that meets your users’ needs.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

• Carnegie Mellon University• Drexel University• Vanderbilt University

$110,620

Your friends call you The Trendsetter because you always know what is about to be popular.

Investigator

• Facebook• Reddit• Twitter

Digging into data sets, you will examine industry trends and forecast the next big thing after the next five big things. While data mining and quantitative analysis are your strong suits, your goal is to monitor key product metrics to build convincing proposals supporting your findings and bring the company closer to launching the next hot social trend.

DATA SCIENTIST

• Dakota State University• Fitchburg State University• Siena Heights University

$90,120

You change your wi-fi password twice a day and are lobbying for retina scanners on your front door.

Investigator

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Defending your company against online threats is your responsibility and you will use firewalls and data encryption programs to accomplish it. Armed with a thirst for investigation, knowledge of effective IT-security trends, and an ability to recognize threats before they infiltrate the system, you’ll be the first line of defense for your company.

THREAT DETECTION ANALYST

want a peek at the digital intro version of this issue ... · 4 early fall 2016 // stemjobs.com...

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