Most Popular STEM Jobs For 2023

The new year can cause many people to set resolutions such as setting workout goals, starting healthy eating and finding a new job. According to a survey conducted by Robert Half, 46% of business professionals will be looking at new job opportunities in the first six months of 2023. This high number of projected job seekers in the new year is caused by a multitude of factors that include salary, leadership opportunities, line of work and more.

Many of these job seekers will likely be interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) which has become a massive area of opportunity for many career professionals hoping to advance their career and paycheck.

Read below to learn more about the most in-demand STEM jobs and how to land them.

Cloud Network Engineer

More organizations across the world are starting to develop and implement cloud programs for their computer systems to ease collaboration and productivity efforts. It is estimated by Tech Jury that nearly 90% of companies in the United States have some sort of cloud migration program currently implemented. With so many organizations implementing cloud programs, the need for cloud network engineers has skyrocketed in the recent years.

The role of a cloud network engineer is to implement and maintain specific cloud systems. These cloud frameworks can be seen beyond the technology industry and across almost every other industry allowing for many opportunities of employment. According to Grand View Research, the field of cloud computing is expected to grow 15.7% from 2022 to 2030.

Becoming a cloud network engineer is a clear career path with its requirements. It is recommended for someone to that wants to peruse this field is to follow these steps:

• Obtain a college degree (Typically in Information Technology or Computer Science)
• Learn how to code in different coding languages (Some include Java, C++, Python, Ruby and PHP)
• Earn specific certificates in cloud computing (AWS and Google Cloud are popular choices)
• Gain experience in technology spaces and careers
• Create a strong resume that properly shows your knowledge and experience

When considering these steps, you can find yourself with cloud network engineering job offers in no time.

The national average salary in the U.S. for a cloud network engineer is between $98,000 and $136,000 according to ZipRecruiter which compares to the average $63,215 salary of a US worker.

Technical Writer

This is where the role of technical writers comes in. Technical writers are professionals who provide clear and intricate instructions for products and ideas at different organizations.

Many people have the impression that technical writers simply write up instruction manuals and create legal documents for products or organizations. While those are some of the aspects of the job, there are more tasks that technical writers complete. Some of the other duties of technical writers include writing professional journal articles, creating how-to guides, supporting documents to include complex information and much more.

This occupation will only grow in the coming years. It is estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the need for technical writers will grow by 12% in the next ten years. One of the reasons for this great need is that technical writers can be used in almost every space of work and industry.

Employers tend to prefer candidates that have college degrees in these fields:

• English
• Journalism
• Communication
• Any other type of degree that relates to professional writing

This is due to the amount of writing and editing that is required in the daily work of technical writers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a technical writer is $78,060 a year in the U.S. which compares to the average $50,617 that English majors.

User Experience (UX) Designer

The best way to sell a product digitally is to provide a seamless online experience for a user when they are either purchasing or researching goods or services. UX designers specialize in the user experience of websites where they design, research and implement strategies to improve the usage of websites to increase profits and opportunities for their organization.

Load times and excessive amounts of data is a common problem that many UX designers work on to improve user experience. For example, if you are looking to buy a new shirt for an event and you must scroll through hundreds of pages on a website to find one, you as the user will be more likely to leave the website and not complete a purchase. If a UX designer sees a problem like this, they will research and implement strategies that will reduce the amount of information on a webpage and allow the user to find their desired product much faster, which equates to a higher chance of making a sale.

By playing such a vital part in the customer experience, UX designers are very sought after and will only continue to get bigger in-demand. According to CNN, the demand for UX designers will grow nearly 13% over the next ten years.

The suggested degrees to have to enter a career in UX design are:

• Computer science
• Information technologies
• Graphic design (with specific experience in coding languages)

Many colleges around the world are also starting to offer UX design specific degree programs for their students which can highly increase your probability of getting a career in this field.

The average salary for a UX designer in the U.S. is $100,338 according to Indeed.

Environmental Engineering

An environmental engineer takes the sciences of biology, microbiology, ecology, geology and more to create and develop systems to protect the quality of air, earth and water for a more sustainable future. According to Zippia, environmental engineering jobs are projected to increase by 5% equating to nearly 20,000 job openings in the next ten years.

Many of the processes that environmental engineers design, improve the world in a greater way like preventing air pollution, allowing easier waste disposal, improving recycling and more. With more efforts being put into improving the environment and quality of life, environmental engineers are more in-demand than ever.

Another reason environmental engineer is becoming a top job is the push for Environment, Social and Corporate Governance Sustainability (ESG) by many companies around the world. This is the set of standards that companies follow to be socially conscious of the environment. It is estimated by NAVEX that 88% of publicly traded companies have ESG initiatives put in place. With so many companies striving for sustainable practices, the need for environmental engineers directly correlates and more jobs will likely open in this field over the coming years.

Environmental engineers can work in several industries with the type of work they do. These industries include:

• Architecture
• Petroleum and coal
• Oil and gas
• Computer systems
• Government

To enter this field, it is highly recommended to get a degree specifically in environmental engineering to make sure that you have the proper education to complete your tasks correctly and timely. According to Zippia, it is estimated that there will be 5% growth of environmental engineering jobs in the next ten years which equals to thousands of new job opportunities.

The average salary for an environmental engineer in the U.S. is $100,220 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Forensic Scientist

The field of forensic sciences is one of the fastest growing occupations in the United States. According to the

Forensic scientists are essential when investigating crimes, as they perform chemical and microscopic analyses of anything that could be found in a crime scene. These studies are done to determine if there was DNA present at the crime scene and if a potential criminal can be identified.

Since forensic scientists are involved investigating crimes, many of them are employed in the public sector of government work where they directly work with investigators. Many job openings for these roles can be found in big cities like New York, Philadelphia and Las Vegas due to their big populations.

There are a wide range of degrees that you can earn to become a forensic scientist. Here are some of the degrees you can earn to become one:

• Physical sciences
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Forensic science
• Physics

The annual salary for a forensic scientist in the U.S. is $58,559 according to Indeed.

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