STEM or STEAM? How to blend Art with Science and Technology to create the perfect job

STEAM = STEM + Arts

As we worry about a future where robots will replace jobs, STEAM graduates are creating their own ideal jobs.

Our world is getting more technological. We need graduates with technical skills to match the positions being created for the future. A STEM curriculum (Science Technology Engineering Math) was designed to that. But where does that leave the Arts? Art augments the technical as it encourages innovation, creativity, and iteration. Little wonder that a STEAM curriculum (STEM+Arts) is becoming the preferred choice.

I remember the stress of 12th grade, and the intense pressure to choose the one degree that I thought would determine my entire future. (PhD student)

What do these 6 people have in common?

• An Aerospace Engineer who now owns a Micro-brewery that created a gluten-free beer
• A Fine Arts major who works at a major bank with responsibilities in Global Recruitment and Strategic Initiatives
• A carpenter who trained as an architect then returned to creating fantastic physical production sets
• Co-founder of an AI incubator with an undergraduate degree in Anthropology
• A YouTuber working on an undergraduate degree in Mathematics
• An Astro-musician – jazz guitarist and physicist who uses music to help us experience the orbits of the newly discovered TRAPPIST-1 system

Their current job did not exist 10 years ago – they created it

90% of the jobs that our children will do have not been created as yet. (Christine Lagarde, President IMF Oct 2017)

We think of this as a Future of Work problem.  But as we can see, this trend started a while ago.

In fact, few professions have experienced a static or technology-free career structure.  Teachers are incorporating robotics into their classroom curriculum. Local police departments are using decision analytics to strategically assist them in enforcing impaired offences. Hospitals are using machine learning and AI in preventative health situations.

They are excited to do challenging work

The individuals above were each on stage recently.  Some as a panelist at the Burlington Foundation talk ‘Today’s youth, tomorrow’s prosperity’.  Many were presenters at TEDxUofT.

• Dr. Matt Russo could not keep the excitement out of his voice as he brought the night skies alive through music.  He explained the challenge of the unusually tight orbit structure of the new TRAPPIST-1 system through music.
• Jay Pooley described the challenge of creating a screen made of snow for a recent ad campaign that ran during the Winter 2018 Olympics. Or the joy in creating a set that allowed SickKids to show up as Fighters and Conquerors.
• When you listen to John Romano describe the challenges in creating and certifying a gluten-free beer, you have a new respect for the care in solving a need for an underserved market.

They did not end up where they started

For many of them, their journey to today has not been a straight line progression.

• Sabrina Cruz did it in reverse. Her successful YouTube channel explores the fun side of being ‘Nerdy and Quirky’.  It offers popular guidance for High School Seniors.  She is now pursuing a degree in Mathematics.
• Helen Kontozopoulos lives in a world of AI and machine learning and has launched many successful startups.  She started with an anthropology degree, added a Business degree and is now completing an executive degree in innovation and technology at MIT.
• Matt Russo’s first undergraduate degree was in Music – as a Jazz guitarist. He had to program for music composition, which was invaluable when he started his physics degree.  (And no, he is nothing like Sheldon!)

Their current job is the result of their own journey between the worlds of Arts, Science, and Technology

As we talked about the message we could give any young adult today – one making their Class of 2022 decision, or someone just entering the workforce – it would be to be open to new opportunities and directions.

While most STEM graduates are applying for jobs that already exist, STEAM graduates create their own jobs at the intersection of their interests, filling a need only they could predict because of their unique vantage point.

Learn how to learn.  Leverage your existing skills.  Explore.

STEAM

We are moving from a jobs economy to a skills economy. (Francine Dyksterhuis, Regional President, RBC)

In the Future of Work, we will see fewer of the traditional jobs, but more opportunities to work across disciplines. Successful candidates will be able to use previously learned skills and deploy them for new solutions – a portfolio of skills mixed and blended to solve the problem at hand.

There is an increasing need to collaborate with and draw from the Arts into the new STEM-centric world (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) as robots need to assume human traits, and we work with an aging population that needs more empathic support.

Each speaker blended their various interests – Music+Astro-Physics; Anthropology+Business+AI; physical+conceptual building. As discussed in previous articles, we are seeing more opportunities created at the intersection of Arts and Science. It is precisely because these speakers had such diverse interests that they saw an opening or noticed a need. They connected the dots across Arts and Science and Technology. They created a niche for themselves.

Steam is created when water is heated, creating an increasing number of excited bubbles which expand. Steam has been harnessed to create energy that powers everything from a pump to a steam engine. A simplistic analogy. But the operative words here are EXCITED, EXPAND and ENERGY.
New opportunities require an environment of exploration. Knowledge knocks at itself, looking for a use and application of a skill we developed in a different dimension.

What came through loud and clear:

• everyone should become computer knowledgeable and literate, regardless of age, regardless of discipline
• you have to be willing to continue learning and seeking new knowledge
• it does not matter where you start, but you should expect to reinvent yourself and seize opportunities that are presented
• learn how to learn

Who are they?

1. John Romano – from Aerospace Engineering to MicroBrewer, co-owner of Nickel Brook
2. Leona McCharles – a Fine Arts graduate who now has responsibilities at a major bank for Global recruitment and strategic initiatives
3. Jay Pooley – An architect who builds with his hands and now creates fantastic physical sets
4. Helen Kontozopoulos – from Anthropology to Business to co-founder of UofT’s Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab (DCSIL) where they have a very successful AI incubator
5. Dr. Matt Russo – Matt is an Astro-Musician who has translated the colour of the stars into a symphony, and who will hold you spell-bound. His project, SYSTEM sounds, makes Astro-Physics relatable by translating it into sound.
6. Sabrina Cruz – Mathematics undergrad student with the YouTube channel NerdyandQuirky

They love what they are doing.

They were on stage over the past week, talking about their journey and their work.

Their current job did not exist 10 years ago.

Start somewhere. Learn how to learn. Be excited. Explore!

What I learned from these amazing speakers is that it does not matter where you start.  Start somewhere.
Be open-minded and make your own opportunities.
Learn not only what to learn but how to learn, so that you can transfer skills to another project.

And above all else be excited, and explore – create some STEAM.

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Research & Credit

• Matt Russo – SYSTEM Sound Understanding the TRAPPIST-1 Planetary system and its orbits via music 
• RBC Future Launch – a $500 million dollar commitment over 10 years aimed at helping youth to gain new skills, grow their network and get work experience
• https://www.huffingtonpost.com/vidcode/the-importance-of-steam-l_b_9488898.html
• Burlington Foundation – Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Prosperity
• TEDxUofT – Deconstruct
• Boiling Water
• Title Photo by Devin Avery on Unsplash