Teenage Innovators Unite: Essential STEM Tips for Today's Youth!
I’m fortunate to meet a lot of teenagers at startup events who are looking for ways to get involved in STEM immediately. However, I know that not every student gets the opportunity to run into scientist/entrepreneurs on a regular basis. Here are my top tips for youth who want to be involved in STEM now, because adulthood and university are just formalities:
1) Learn to code, no matter which STEM discipline interests you most. The future is computational and all STEM disciplines rely on big data and analytics. Pick a language, any language, and learn the basics. It’s easier to expand to new languages once you have a foundational language. Good starter languages include: Python, C#, Java, and Java Script.
2) Pay attention and engage with STEM content. Read blogs, watch YouTube, analyze publicly available research. There are so many content creators teaching about the fundamentals of STEM fields, and many more who do in depth work in specific fields like 3D printing, engineering, physics, math, chemistry, medicine, and more.
3) Go hands on. Look for programs or makerspaces in your area that will let you build and create. You many not be able to find a 3D printer capable of building organs, but you can definitely learn the basic principles of filament or resin printing. And everyone needs to start with the basics, before they can do the extraordinary.
4) Research your local experts. Find the most interesting professor or entrepreneur in your city or town. Read about their work and interests. Attend local events where they are speaking, so you can discuss their work in person. Then ask if they have available positions for summer or part-time work.
5) Plan ahead. Find people who work in disciplines that interest you and look into the education and credentials that they obtained to do their jobs. Do you need to be a Professional Engineer? A medical doctor? Do you need a PhD or Master’s degree? Do you just need to code like you mean it?
6) Keep an open mind and defy categorization. Many of the hot STEM disciplines of today were unheard of when your parents were teenagers. STEM is ever evolving, and you can create new disciplines that fit your interests.
Good luck!