STEM | HOW TO GET HIRED
What Else Can I Do with a STEM-Related Degree? Having a STEM-related degree background doesn’t mean your opportunities are limited to the relevant industries forever. In reality, your degree actually opens doors to other sectors.
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ust because your degree is related to STEM doesn’t mean that you have to be stuck in such a role forever! The best thing about these degrees is that it equips you with skills – in logical thinking, problem-solving and numeracy – that are technical enough for a specialised sector, yet general enough to be transferable to other areas of work. Many companies even have positions where STEM graduates can combine their existing technical skills with commercial, financial and management opportunities. Here are some alternative career options.
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Logistics
Operations management
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Procurement, purchasing, and buying
Whenever something has to be moved from one place to another – whether it’s the transport of raw materials to a manufacturing facility or distribution of retail products to consumers – it falls under the purview of logistics. You’ll be responsible for everything that’s related to the process: the planning and financial costs, processing and tracking orders, liaising with other departments, and so on. Two of your main concerns will be expenses and deadlines, so your job will include balancing quality service and timely delivery while minimising costs. Some of the skills needed include:
Operations management bridges the manufacturing and business sides of a company, linking them to form an efficient supply chain. As a result, work in this area is very diverse; you can be involved in nearly everything – from the purchasing of raw materials, to the delivery of a complete product to a customer. Because roles in this area are primarily occupied with planning and implementing strategies to increase productivity and reduce costs, these notable attributes are required in this type of work: • Analytical skills to deduce necessary information from compiled data
Procurement is all about scouting for, and purchasing, equipment, parts and materials for projects at the right price and quality. You’ll have to prepare a list of suppliers and quotations to select from; check on the quality, prices and schedules; and liaise with transporters and logisticians to ship purchases to the right place at the right time. Engineers tend to be well-suited for this job because of their familiarity with specific parts, equipment and materials, which means that they can help with quality control. However, this doesn’t mean that graduates in other areas of STEM aren’t! Here are other qualities that you’ll need for this line of work:
• Problem-solving and logical thinking skills to tackle urgent lastminute problems
• Critical thinking skills to solve problems that may have a huge impact on a process
• Meticulousness and accuracy in your calculations and handling of the purchases
• Cost-benefit analysis to consider the impact of your choices on the business as a whole
• The ability to see the overall picture and final objectives even as you focus on improving specific areas
• The ability to work under pressure and think fast because you may have to contend with tight deadlines and last-minute problems
• Good interpersonal skills – being clear and precise when managing colleagues and customers will be crucial, especially when you need to be firm with them
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STEM Career Guide 2022
• Good communication and negotiation skills to bargain with vendors • Good technical understanding of the process that you’re purchasing for. You’ll need to accurately gauge timescales and the impact of any changes you make
