STEM/ STEAM is increasingly being taught in schools in Hong Kong, as a way to create critical thinkers, increase science literacy, and enable the next generation of innovators. But you may wonder what your child can do with these skills that they’ve gained. Fortunately, STEM/STEAM opens so many doors in terms of career opportunities. Here are just some of the jobs that your kids can get with a STEM/ STEAM education.
Potential STEAM/ STEM Jobs
Geographer
Geographers research the Earth, including its features and people. You’ll likely just need a bachelor’s degree to become a geographer, and you’ll need to be up to date on the latest technology in the field, including geographic information systems, or GIS.
What to study: bachelor’s degree in Geography, or study a bachelor’s degree in Humanities and then a master’s degree in Geography. In Hong Kong, a variety of universities offer Geography at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level, including Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong PolyU and The University of Hong Kong.
Interior Designer
Interior designers make interior spaces functional, safe and beautiful by figuring out space requirements and choosing decorative items, such as colours, lighting and materials. They also sketch out design plans, including electrical and partition standards, working closely with architects, civil and mechanical engineers and construction labourers. Interior designers must be aware of building codes and inspection regulations.
What to study: A bachelor’s degree in any field is acceptable, but interior design programmes are available at the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels. In Hong Kong, PolyU offers an Environment and Interior Design (BA) programme, HKU Space offers a diploma in Interior Design and the Insight School of Interior Design Hong Kong offers a variety of courses.
Epidemiologist/ Medical Scientist
Epidemiologists research diseases and other medical conditions to find treatments and potential cures. Due to an ageing population and continuously emerging diseases, jobs for medical scientists are growing at a faster-than-average pace. You will likely need a master’s degree to enter the field, and you will likely need to specialise.
What to study: In Hong Kong, you can study a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Global Health and Development at HKU Med. You can also do a Master of Public Health at HKU Med or a Master’s in Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
Product Designer
A product designer is, at its core, a problem solver. They use different design tools to create and execute a problem that solves a user’s experience problem. For example, you may have heard of User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) designers – these people essentially make products easier for people to use! You can study design-related areas like design, architecture and engineering and then take product design courses.
What to study: In Hong Kong, PolyU offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Product Design.
Data Scientist
Data scientists use technology to gn insights from the large amounts of data that they collect. You will need to know statistics, quantitative reasoning and have computer programming skills. You will also need to be a good communicator so that you can report your research findings and explain how they answer a larger question that you’re trying to answer.
What to study: A bachelor’s degree in fields like mathematics, statistics, computers, and engineering should help you set the foundation to become a data scientist. Besides this, in Hong Kong, HKU Space offers a number of short courses and certificates in areas related to data science, The University of Hong Kong offers a Master of Data Science, City University of Hong Kong (CityU) also offers a Master’s in Data Science and the Vocational Training Council (VTC) offers a Higher Diploma in Data Science and Analytics.
Animator
Animators create special effects and other animations for everything from advertisements to video games to films. Some animators may have a specialty, like hand-drawing, designing 3D characters or creating computer-generated images (CGI).
What to study: The Open University of Hong Kong offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours in Animation and Visual Effects, VTC offers a Higher Diploma in Animation and Visual Effects and the Hong Kong School of Animation and VFX offers a number of courses in animation.
Software Developer
Software developers essentially look at users’ needs and then design and develop software to meet those needs and then design and develop software that meet those needs. They design each piece of an application or system and plan how the pieces will work together. The demand for software developers is growing because of an increasing need for software applications, especially for mobile devices. To become a software developer, you will need excellent mathematical and problem-solving skills, a knowledge of different programming languages and good organisational and time management skills.
What to study: In Hong Kong, there are coding courses, The City University of Hong Kong offers a variety of software courses at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, PolyU offers a variety of courses at the master’s and doctoral levels and CUHK offers a variety of courses at the bachelor’s and master’s levels.
Nurse Practitioner
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with additional education, allowing them to take patient histories, perform physical exams, order and analyse labs, prescribe medicines, authorise treatments and educate patients and families on continued care. Practitioners can specialise in research or academia or can work in specific areas like women’s health and paediatrics.
What to study: The University of Hong Kong offers a Doctor of Nursing, and the Nethersole School of Nursing, the Faculty of Medicine and CUHK offer a Professional Diploma Programme in Advanced Nursing Practice.
Biochemist
Biochemists study biological processes (like ageing) and apply their findings to real-world problems in healthcare and other fields. For example, in medicine, biochemists develop tests used to detect diseases, genetic disorders and other illnesses.
What to study: In Hong Kong, CUHK runs a Biochemistry programme and the university of Hong Kong offers a Bachelor of Science degree.
Archeologist
Archeologists study past human activity by excavating, dating and interpreting objects and sites of historical interest. They implement excavation projects, informally called digs, preserve remains and collect and analyse data that informs their understanding of the past.
What to study: in Hong Kong, you can study a minor in Archaeology at CUHK and CityU offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History and Archaeology.
Civil Engineer
Civil engineers design and execute projects involving public and private infrastructure, including roads, bridges, tunnels, buildings, etc. Demand for civil engineers is growing quickly due to a rapidly growing population and the increased demand for sustainable structures. You will need a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
What to study: In Hong Kong, PolyU offers a variety of courses in civil engineering at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels and The University of Hong Kong offers master’s courses.
Biomedical Engineer
Last on our list of STEM/ STEAM-related jobs, biomedical engineers are responsible for designing and developing tools (including software and computer applications) for the healthcare industry. They focus on advances in technology and medicine to develop new devices and equipment for improving human health. For example, they can design software to run medical equipment or computer simulations to test new drug therapies, or design rehabilitative exercise equipment.
What to study: In Hong Kong, PolyU offers a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong offers a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and CityU offers a variety of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in Biomedical Engineering.
STEM/ STEAM education offers so many opportunities for jobs. We hope that this list has inspired you to pursue STEM/ STEAM education as the benefits are numerous!
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