Nurse Practitioner
Nurse practitioners perform a lot of the same duties as physicians; they perform physical exams, order lab tests and analyze results, prescribe medicines and authorize treatments.
Median Salary: $126,260
Education: Master’s
Hello Students!
A Future in STEM is Yours For the Taking
You’ve got ideas, questions, and big potential — and STEM is how you put it all into motion. Whether you want to design solutions, build new tech, or tackle real-world challenges, STEM gives you the tools to shape what’s next for our world.
At Learning Undefeated, we’re here to back you up with hands-on labs, exciting programs, and opportunities to discover what you’re capable of. You don’t have to know all the answers yet — you just have to start exploring.
Want a Mobile STEM Lab Visit at Your School?
Use this Mad Libs Letter Template to Tell Your School to Get On Our Radar!
Is a STEM Career Right For You?
YES! If any of the following are true:
If you’re nodding along, don’t stop here. You’re exactly who the world needs! Explore what’s next, hone in on opportunity and start leveling up your STEM skills!
Discover & Apply for STEM Scholarships!
Get rewarded for your passions in science, tech, engineering, and math.
Participate in Our Emerging Leaders in STEM Course!
Emerging Leaders in STEM is a free, intensive course where you’ll explore advanced topics in biotechnology, connect with STEM mentors, and build real-world lab skills you can use in a future career. You’ll also join a growing community of students just like you—curious, motivated, and ready to make a difference.
Earn Your SSL Hours Volunteering With Us! Promise It’s Fun!
Learning Undefeated is a proud affiliate of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Volunteer Center and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and offers middle school and high school students service learning opportunities throughout the state of Maryland.
Run Your Own Experiments Using Our Open-Source STEMActivities
Learning Undefeated’s free curriculum is packed with classroom-ready activities you can do at home or at school—no fancy equipment required. Whether you’re building models, running experiments, or solving real-world challenges, the lessons are designed to be fun, flexible, and challenging.
Why Pursue STEM Education & Careers?
It’s about solving real-world problems, shaping the future, and discovering what you’re capable of. Whether you’re into designing cities, protecting the planet, curing diseases, or building the next big tech breakthrough, STEM careers put you at the center of innovation.
STEM Jobs Are Hot
Veterinary Technician
Love animals? Veterinary technologists and technicians might handle such responsibilities as lab work or surgery assistance.
Median Salary: $43,740
Education Needed: Associate’s
IT Manager
Our increasingly digital workplace demands more IT managers, who coordinate computer-related activities for an organization. Duties include analyzing and recommending computer needs, installing and maintaining computer hardware and software, and searching for new technologies.
Median Salary: $169,510
Education Needed: Bachelor’s
Industrial Engineer
Industrial engineers solve the complex and critical problems of the world, and they do that by optimizing systems, people and technology systems. From designing factory operations to mail delivery, these engineers make systems work.
Median Salary: $99,380
Education Needed: Bachelor’s
Physician Assistant
Physician assistants diagnose illnesses, develop and carry out treatment plans, assist in surgeries, perform procedures and guide patients. They use their medical expertise to examine, diagnose and treat patients, helping fill in a lot of access gaps across the country.
Median Salary: $130,020
Education Needed: Master’s
Software Developers
Software developers need to be innovative, creative and, of course, technical in order to succeed in this field. They might write new code or fix bugs in code to make it work better.
Median Salary: $132,270
Education Needed: Bachelor’s
Respiratory Therapist
Respiratory therapists examine and treat those who have breathing disorders or respiratory diseases. This occupation requires a two-year degree for entry and can be both challenging and gratifying.
Median Salary: $77,960
Education Needed: Associate’s
Information Security Analyst
As concern about cybersecurity grows, so does the demand for information security analysts. It is the duty of these professionals to prepare and carry out security measures that protect a company’s computer networks and systems.
Median Salary: $120,360
Education Needed: Bachelor’s
Data Scientist
Data scientists use technology to glean insights from large amounts of data they collect. Top skills are statistics, quantitative reasoning and computer programming skills.
Median Salary: $108,020
Education Needed: Bachelor’s
Computer Network Architect
If you’ve ever saved something to the cloud, then you’ve depended on the handiwork of a computer network architect. These professionals design, build and maintain a variety of data communication networks, from expansive cloud infrastructures to intranets.
Median Salary: $129,840
Education Needed: Bachelor’s
Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical engineers are needed in many industries and on many types of projects, from vehicle manufacturing to nanotechnology. Mechanical engineers are involved in the production of mechanical instruments and tools from start to finish, and their work includes aspects of design, development and testing.
Median Salary: $99,510
Education Needed: Bachelor’s
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BUILD MOMENTUM
Get Your STEM Career-Track Accelerating
1. Start Now
Build a well-rounded transcript with a focus in science and math. Take advanced classes and be sure to include one math and one science class each year.
2. Explore Your Interest & Make Contacts in the Field
Experience STEM first-hand through internships, summer jobs, or other opportunities. Ask people you know to introduce you to scientists and researchers, and ask them how they got started.
3. Get Some Experience
Fund your education with a part-time job in bioscience. Some basic positions require just a high school diploma or specialized courses at your local community college. A good way to get your feet wet is to take an entry-level position to build experience while you are pursuing a degree at a community college or university.
4. Keep Building Your Skills
Even after you are employed, engage in lifelong learning. Science and technology constantly change, and it is important to know what’s new and exciting.
Where are STEM Careers Heating Up?
1. The Mid-Atlantic Region is a hot-spot for STEM jobs.
The mid-Atlantic region is a hot spot for STEM jobs. The Washington, DC/Baltimore corridor has the second-highest concentration of STEM jobs in the country with more than one million jobs in growing fields such as game technology, wildlife sciences, and epidemiology. And, yet, we are struggling to produce graduates who are prepared for STEM careers: in the US, job positing outnumber qualified STEM workers nearly two to one.
2. Texas is another great region for careers in STEM.
Texas is also a great region for careers in STEM: the state is home to more than three-quarters of a million great STEM jobs in 2018, Texas will demand a total of 715,380 STEM jobs(up from 584,120 in 2008) an increase of 22% and 5% more than the national average.
3. The Baltimore region offers a unique growth sector.
The Baltimore region is unique in that it features growth in middle-skill STEM jobs: those jobs accessible to employees with an Associate’s degree or even a high school diploma. In fact, the Baltimore region is poised to add nearly 36,000 middle-skill STEM jobs by 2020. These jobs will be in the following high-needs areas:
- Energy Advanced Manufacturing
- Information Technology
- Design & Construction
- Healthcare & Medical Records
- Biosciences
Meet the STEM Rockstars!
STEM SPOTLIGHT:
Angela Benton, Tech Entrepreneur
Angela Benton is a seasoned Entrepreneur and Internet Executive who worked in various roles from design, to development, to strategy. In 2007, she co-founded an internet platform named Black Web 2.0 which showcases innovation and talent of Blacks in the technology and media space.
Meet Angela
STEM SPOTLIGHT:
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson,Theoretical physicist & Educator
“The advice I give to young people is fundamentally to not let others put limits on who you think you can be, to not put limits on them, and to understand and to believe that all of us have talents and have things to contribute.”
STEM SPOTLIGHT:
Eric Hernandez, Deputy Technical Director, Lockheed Martin
“To think that you, as an engineer, even if you’re just writing a couple lines of code, could have a global impact to the rest of the world… That’s powerful.”
If you’re interested in Eric’s work; engineering aircrafts, helicopters, drones, or even spacecrafts, click to learn more.
STEM SPOTLIGHT:
Michael Hopkins, PhD Candidate Founder, Black Scientists Matter
“One yes is worth more than a thousand nos.Instead of focusing on all of the schools who told me no, or all of the people who told me Black Scientists Matter wouldn’t grow to what it has become, I focus on the school who told me yes, and the people who believe in me.”
STEM SPOTLIGHT:
Sierra Roundtree, DJ Beauty and the Beatz
“There is a lot of math in music,” she explains, “My music instructor taught me how to DJ using.” She describes how math is an integral part of both creating and playing music using time signatures, notes, and melodies.
STEM SPOTLIGHT:
Travis Dennis, Chemical Engineer
“Do the best you can at everything that you do. Find something that you enjoy and go for it. And ask questions, question everything because that is a great way to learn.”
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Get Inspired by Your Peers' Stories
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