According to the Brookings Institution report, The Hidden Stem Economy, half of the STEM jobs available in the U.S. do not require a bachelor’s degree and pay 10 percent higher than other jobs with similar educational requirements.
The report notes that while a college degree is not required, these hidden STEM jobs still call for rigorous courses and long-term, on-the-job training. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters typically undertake a four to five year apprenticeship program and study math, physics and chemistry. Similarly, registered nurses take extensive courses in anatomy, chemistry and microbiology. Click to review the key findings.