Although tech and cybersecurity jobs are typically thought of as highly attractive due to strong demand, higher-than-average salaries, and opportunities for career advancement and flexibility, we continue to face a serious talent shortage. According to the 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, an estimated 4.8 million more cybersecurity professionals are needed globally to properly secure organizations. Despite this significant need, not enough resources and support are being dedicated to fueling our pipeline of educated and qualified young professionals capable of filling these roles.

More emphasis must be placed on early education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). State and federal programs are trying to fill this need, but more and more communities are relying on nonprofits or corporate-sponsored programs to fill the void. Through these types of programs, any adult can lend their time and energy to supporting STEM education for children of all ages – regardless of their job title. In this article, we’ll explore some of the common barriers preventing more kids from becoming interested in STEM careers, and what individuals can do to help engage, encourage, and mentor kids on a path to a career in tech.

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Barriers to Careers in Tech – Both Real and Perceived

The challenges to getting more youth interested in STEM subjects is highly varied, and encompasses both real and perceived challenges. One example of a real barrier is the need for advanced technical training and education. Despite many misconceptions that in today’s work environment, you can be self-taught with YouTube and TikTok tutorials, specialized careers in tech and cybersecurity require a lot of education. For the majority of tech jobs – especially those that are currently in high demand – advanced degrees, technical training, and certifications are required. This presents a significant barrier for multiple reasons, including the cost of such advanced education and certification programs, the time and effort required, and the drive/patience for continuing more schooling. Not everyone enjoys school, and STEM subject matter in particular is often considered the “harder path” compared to other majors and focus areas in the arts or business. For some, the thought of 4-8 more years of schooling alone can be a serious deterrent.

Similarly, there is a shortage of available education and training programs that are keeping current with the pace of change in tech jobs. Certain skills are quickly becoming obsolete or the emphasis is shifting. What once was considered a highly sought-after skill is now considered by employers to be a given – e.g. professional email communication, basic Microsoft Word processing and spreadsheet navigation. More training opportunities that help aspiring professionals learn the skills required of today’s jobs are critical.

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A clear example of a “perceived” challenge, as opposed to a real challenge, is the fear and misunderstanding around AI and automation, and the impact these technologies will have on tech jobs.

There is far too much speculation that AI is going to dramatically replace workers, and therefore students and new professionals are reluctant to sink so much time, energy, and money into getting a STEM education if they’re just going to be replaced by AI within 5-10 years. This is simply not true, and a stigma that we all must work harder to fight. After all, the calculator didn’t replace math, did it? Much to the dismay of many high school students wishing they could opt out of calculus.

We need to reframe our thinking around AI and automation in a similar fashion – these are tools that will help human workers be more efficient and inform decision-making, but they can not and will not replace human workers entirely. In fact, in many areas it is having the opposite effect, where more and more people with specific training and understanding of AI are in high demand.

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Another barrier that is a bit of a mix of real and perceived, is what I call the “nerd bias.”

Being a kid these days is harder than ever, and taking an interest in anything outside of the “norm” can be a social risk. I myself was reluctant at first to join the robotics program at my school for this exact reason. It wasn’t until I learned that participating in the program earned you three excused school absences and a trip to the Kennedy Space Center that I signed up. To help combat the “nerd bias” problem, youth need more role models in STEM. It’s easy to find high profile examples of success in fields like athletics, arts and entertainment and even finance and business sectors, but we need to highlight more successful professionals doing cool and interesting work in tech to get kids more excited and help break any lingering stigmas.

Finally, a very real barrier to getting more kids involved in STEM early on, is the lack of resources and programs available for school-aged kids. It’s very different from athletics where coaches are paid and programs are fully funded – most STEM programs are entirely run by volunteers. Volunteers are extremely hard to come by, in part because there is a perception that you need to have deep technical understanding or a specialized focus area to be helpful in running these programs. This is simply not true. Anyone, regardless of what they do for a living or their level of education, can make a positive contribution to running these critical programs.

Get Involved

There are many different ways that individuals can make a truly significant impact in the quest to get more kids exposed to STEM and help fill our pipeline of qualified tech workers. Here are just a few ideas for consideration:

  • Volunteer for STEM-related programs and activities for youth. I can’t stress this enough – you do NOT have to have technical skills or an education/direct experience in STEM to make an impact. Nonprofit and volunteer-run programs need people with all sorts of different skills to function. Maybe you’re good with finances and can serve as the treasurer, maybe you’re highly organized and can manage the schedule of other volunteers, maybe you’re good with social media and can help raise more awareness of the program and its needs in your community – the possibilities are endless. Many of these programs simply need adult supervision to allow students an environment in which they are free to experiment with tech and science for themselves. Any amount of time you can give, with whatever skills you can bring to the table, it WILL make a difference.
  • Secure time off for volunteering. One of the most common excuses for not getting involved in STEM programs for kids is lack of time, especially for working professionals. What many don’t know is that companies often have policies and benefits, granting employees paid time off for qualified volunteer activities. And even if your company doesn’t have a written policy like this in the handbook, it doesn’t hurt to ask! In my experience, most companies are very happy to grant paid time off for employees who are highly involved in a worthy cause. Some companies will even offer contribution matching programs in the form of monetary or supplies donations for causes that their employees are involved with. In the robotics program I support, FIRST Robotics Orlando, a former student who now works at Microsoft volunteers his own time with the program, and has gotten Microsoft to make monetary contributions.
  • Find unique ways to get kids started in STEM. If you’re facing a perceived lack of interest in your community and schools in getting student participation in such programs, find a different way in. eSports are actually a very popular gateway to get more kids involved in STEM related programs. I first got excited about building computer systems because I wanted to play computer games that weren’t compatible with the system I had, so I got parts from my mom’s office that were going to be thrown out anyways and built my own computer. Drones, coding, robotics and eSports are all fantastic ways to draw more interest in STEM.
  • Treat it as skill-building. Many of the volunteers I work alongside in the FIRST Robotics program have told me that they were amazed at the professional skills they were acquiring through volunteer efforts. For example, one volunteer who does marketing in her day job has acquired a whole new suite of skills around financing and bookkeeping through her volunteer efforts.

In case you need a little more convincing to get involved, volunteering has been proven to be beneficial for mental and physical health. Those who volunteer often experience less depression and anxiety as well as improved self-esteem and satisfaction, and are less likely to experience physical health concerns like high blood pressure and risks of heart disease. 

It Works, I Promise

To any naysayers who think that volunteering with kids is a waste of time and that these type of STEM programs aren’t making a difference, you are wrong. Countless studies and research have proven the benefits of getting young kids involved in STEM early on and how this impacts career and life choices later on. For example, Compton Unified School District saw students choosing STEM careers soar to 51% from 24% after exposing students to STEM activities and integrating STEM topics throughout school curricula. Bridging the STEM talent gap benefits all of us – it keeps more jobs here in the U.S., attracts top talent from around the globe, and particularly in areas like cybersecurity, strengthens national security. Everyone can play a role in supporting the next generation of STEM professionals – don’t hesitate to get involved. 

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