A 1961 reform doubled the number of Italian students graduating with STEM degrees. But wages actually went down.
What is the direction of the STEM focus? What do we really want to teach students and prepare them for? In my opinion, we don't necessarily need to "push" students towards STEM fields or heavily encourage majors under this broad characterization. I think that we need to prepare students for thinking in the problematic way necessary for the 21st century job force, especially STEM fields, as technology is advancing exponentially. It is not enough to get a degree in a STEM field. What good is a degree without a true desire to problem solve and learn? Without this basic foundation of appreciation of STEM concepts, the value of a STEM degree could decline, as students are not passionate about expanding and further developing the knowledge of their field.
To this, I suggest an increase in focusing education to student interests and desires. Students are not guaranteed to suddenly fall in love with physics simply because of the school system's wishes and efforts. We need to provide good foundational education where students can explore different subjects and fields so they start to find a sense of what they might be interested in. Then, they should be able to pursue education that supports that goal. Furthermore, they should still be able to change their educational direction. It should not be a punishment to discover that you might not be interested in something you thought you were. Let students direct their education so they can be passionate about their careers. This is how we increase the value of degrees, and the progression of all career fields, including STEM.
