Did you know that you can eat ice cream for a living?
It’s time to break the stereotypes around STEM careers.
A study in 2021 highlighted that there’s a correlation between students’ stereotypes of STEM careers and their overall interests in STEM as well as career goals. It pointed out that STEM stereotypes may have a negative influence on their STEM career interest.
In addition, according to surveys and information collected in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, students generally view professionals in science and technology as “doing boring, uninteresting work in unpleasant surroundings, cut off from other people”. Other science education literatures also found similar stereotypes that students held.
As educators, we play an important role in “transforming these stereotypical conceptions of STEM careers into more realistic and diversified conceptions”.
Having said that, we are excited to present to you …
*Drumroll please*…
5 unique jobs in STEM that you didn’t know existed
Ice Cream Specialist
Do you enjoy eating ice cream? What if I told you that there’s a job out there that involves eating ice cream AND discovering new flavors?
Let me introduce to you a profession called the Ice Cream Specialist.
Ice Cream Specialist is a food scientist that specializes in ice creams. It’s a profession that involves nutrition, chemistry, physics, and technology!
Read more about Maya Warren who is actually an Ice Cream Specialist!
Cryptozoologist
Are monsters real or just a fantasy? Find out by being a Cryptozoologist!
Cryptozoology is:
the study of and search for animals and especially legendary animals (such as Sasquatch) usually in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence.
In our opinion, this is probably the closest you can be to being a wizard and a “magizoologist” like Newt Scamander from “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”.
Imagineer
Imagineers are people who devises and implements a new or highly imaginative concept or technology. They are specifically referred to people who work at the Research & Development arm of the Walt Disney Company responsible for the creation, design, and construction of Disney theme parks.
With more than 100 different disciplines within Walt Disney Imagineering — from artists to architects, scientists to show producers, project managers to programmers, model makers to mathematicians, and so many more — our talented team produces the magic that makes Disney parks and resorts such incredible places to visit. — Walt Disney Imagineering
Imagineers not only get to have a super unique job title but they also get to be the brains behind the magic of Disney!
Ethical Hacker
Ethical hacker is an information security (infosec) expert who penetrates a computer system, network, application or other computing resource on behalf of its owners — and with their authorization. They are often employed by government agencies, financial institutions, and major corporations to identify vulnerabilities in their network security systems.
Cosmetic Chemist
Cosmetic chemists are the scientific professionals who develop beauty products. They mix raw materials together to create cosmetic products like shampoo, lipstick, toothpaste, and many other types of personal care products.
They not only create new products, they are also responsible for testing prototypes, ensuring safety of the products, fix production problems, and evaluate the market as well as competitor products.
A career is STEM is not about doing “boring work in unpleasant settings”. It’s important to show students the diverseness of the industry to get them excited about a future of STEM.
The Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition
We are hosting the 2022 edition of the Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition right now at Wiz Robotics. This is the perfect opportunity to expose students to different STEM skills and get them excited about STEM.
This year’s theme will be around the space rover. Each individual or team registration will come with an at-home robotics kit accompanied by the Wiz online learning platform so you can learn to code and build your rover from scratch.
You can learn more about the 2022 Wiz Prodigy Online STEM Competition directly on the website. Be sure to also check out the amazing Cybertruck creations from the 2021 Wiz Prodigy Competition!
