Careers in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine-related fields are plentiful in New Mexico, but we don’t have enough residents trained to fill them. STEM professions pay much better than non-STEM jobs, yet the pipeline for these jobs is not adequately stocked.

So what’s the problem?

Let’s start with the perception that the best way to make a good living is by earning a bachelor’s degree, at least. Those who choose not to pursue this specific higher education path are all too often stigmatized and considered less-than.

Today’s job market can be challenging to navigate, but achieving a successful career doesn’t always have to involve a bachelor’s degree. Many industries offer attractive wages, interesting work and promising career paths without the need for a bachelor’s degree or more.

High costs of tuition, room and board can put a four-year college or university experience out of reach for some students. For others, their interests and passions may best be met through non-university-provided education from the military to apprenticeships.

Then there is the perception that a STEM professional must hold a Ph.D. and that STEM work is confined to the research lab or tech companies. Not so.

Recent research from Washington, D.C.-based

Science is US shows that of the 67 million STEM professionals nationwide, more than 55% do not hold a bachelor’s degree. In New Mexico, that percentage is 54%.

Not only do STEM occupations provide fulfilling jobs, regardless of a person’s educational achievement, they provide dynamic careers that often pay more. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for all STEM occupations nationwide is $96,800 a year compared to $44,670 for nonSTEM occupations.

New Mexico STEM professionals are also more productive, according to the Science is US analysis. While they account for one-third of the state’s workforce, they are responsible for 42% of New Mexico’s gross domestic product.

And here is one more point of pride. New Mexico’s economy is the 14th-most STEM intensive nationwide, while our Four Corners neighbors rank 25th, 26th and 33rd.

I have had the pleasure of working alongside mechanical and sheet metal contractors for almost three decades, promoting careers such as plumbers, pipefitters, sheet metal workers and welders, to name a few. These STEM professionals are an integral part of the nation’s — and New Mexico’s — STEM workforce. Not only should they take pride in their professions, but we all should. And we should encourage as many folks as possible to enter these professions as they follow their interests.

Many of the folks who follow these STEM career paths train in an apprenticeship program, usually four to five years depending on one’s professional path, where they receive invaluable on-thejob skills training. Importantly, these future STEM professionals earn while they learn with health insurance, retirement plans and periodic raises as training milestones are met.

This summer, MCA-SMACNA of New Mexico partnered with Heavy Metal Summer Experience to introduce young people to well-paid careers in the building trades. By normalizing skillsbased apprenticeships as a valuable and valued post-secondary educational path into STEM, we hope to create workforce diversity and entice the next generation of highly skilled technical workers.

My father got his start as a sheet metal worker, and my husband is an electrician. I am so proud of both. These STEM professions should not be the path of last resort; they should not be viewed as any less valuable than any job that requires a bachelor’s degree. They should be a first choice for many of our children.