Why promote STEM education?

We need more boys and girls to grow up with a passion for science, technology, engineering, and math. That passion needs to lead to an education that will prepare them for technical careers. In short, we need people with the skills necessary to sustain technological innovation and drive our economy.

We have a shortage of trained engineers, programmers and scientists to fill the jobs of today and tomorrow. At Cradlepoint we grew over 20x the size when I joined and had the largest unicorn technology exit in Idaho’s history. Despite our success, it was always difficult to fill open positions with smart and motivated people with the skills they need. The hardest positions we’ve had filling are for experienced engineers and others that require technical degrees (like product management).

It’s more than just getting kids excited about STEM and telling them they can do it. It’s about helping them believe they have what it takes to do well in math and science classes. Too many students try, fail, and give up with a fixed mindset. I espouse the power of a growth mindset which can allow any person to get better at any skill. It’s so powerful that a kid who wasn’t smart enough to get into the gifted program could get an electrical engineering degree from MIT. And a person who got picked last for sports because he couldn’t catch the ball could go on to become the world’s fastest juggler and break over 300 Guinness World Records.

I believe we have an opportunity to train the next generation to fill these technical roles starting with encouraging them to believe they can succeed with hard work, grit, and a growth mindset. I can only do a very small part, but I’d like to do that part as well as I can. If we can encourage young boys and girls to pursue STEM education like the many mentors, teachers, family and friends encouraged me, I feel we’ll have a bright future ahead.