According to a recent CareerCast.com report, STEM jobs make up the majority of the 10 best jobs of 2015.
Each year Career Cast evaluates the 200 most popular careers and ranks them based on Bureau of Labor Statistics on the income, job outlook, stress, work environment among other factors.
As the economy changes and more STEM jobs become available concern for K-12 STEM education in the United States grows.
According to a new Pew Research Center report, only 29% of Americans rated their country’s K-12 education in STEM as above average or the best in the world. Though STEM are the top jobs of 2015, a gap remains between the number of people needed and the number available positions without qualified people to fill. A recent report from Indeed shows that 8.4% of all job postings are for computer and math-related jobs, but only 5.5% of people are seeking to apply for those positions.
Leaders in business, government, and academia strongly believe that education in the STEM subjects is vital not only to U.S. innovation capacity but also as a foundation for successful employment, including (but not limited to) work in the STEM fields.
Thus, the heightened focused on encouraging kids to explore the math and sciences as US leaders work to broaden participation to inspire a more diverse STEM talent pool.
A recent U.S. News and World Report highlights that a technology revolution reshaping the energy sector through streamlined operations, increased production, and improved distribution will create many job opportunities for college graduates over the next decade. It also points out that college grads with technical and advanced degrees will be in high demand to fill lucrative positions as engineers, technicians and scientists.
There is no better time for students to aspire and pursue a career in math, science and technology. The industry will account for countless jobs in the near future, which is even more reason to ensure that all children have an opportunity to explore STEM during grade school.
See the top 10 jobs of 2015 below.
Top 10 best jobs of 2015
| Rank | Occupation | Median Salary |
| 1 | Actuary | $94,209 |
| 2 | Audiologist | $71,133 |
| 3 | Mathematician | $102,182 |
| 4 | Statistician | $79,191 |
| 5 | Biomedical engineer | $89,165 |
| 6 | Data scientist | $124,149 |
| 7 | Dental hygienist | $71,102 |
| 8 | Software engineer | $93,113 |
| 9 | Occupational therapist | $77,114 |
| 10 | Computer systems analyst | $81,150 |