{"id":81254,"date":"2026-06-22T03:11:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T03:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/81254\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T03:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T03:11:08","slug":"ai-and-the-changing-landscape-of-stem-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/81254\/","title":{"rendered":"AI and the Changing Landscape of STEM Careers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lead\">At a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jAJMcNbnFKY&amp;t=1506s\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (STEM City Service to Nation event)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">STEM City Service to Nation event<\/a>, Dr. Victor McCrary highlighted that artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming jobs more rapidly than educational systems can adapt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He noted that roles in AI, cybersecurity, and quantum computing have emerged within the past five years, with more to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Service to Nation addressed questions about AI\u2019s impact on employment, essential skills for students, community participation in the AI economy, and strategies for adapting to technological change.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While overall unemployment remains steady, the rate for teenagers has risen to 14.4 percent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In response, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalacademies.org\/projects\/CAST-SEEW-25-01\/event\/46359\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (National Academies workshop on Education and Workforce Trajectories in Tech)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">National Academies workshop on Education and Workforce Trajectories in Tech<\/a> emphasized the importance of critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and lifelong learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Last month, Dr. Talitha Washington, who chaired the workshop\u2019s planning committee, spoke at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jAJMcNbnFKY&amp;t=1506s\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Service to Nation job training event)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Service to Nation job training event<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She discussed career pathways, necessary skills, and credentials in AI, and shared advice on pursuing these opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Washington recounted overcoming setbacks, such as withdrawing from pre-calculus at Spelman College before returning to earn an A, attributing her success to perseverance and mentorship.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Her early experiences as a tutor, intern, and resident assistant contributed to her professional growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Currently, Dr. Washington serves as executive director of Howard University\u2019s Center for Applied Data Science &amp; Analytics, and\u00a0principal investigator for the NSF\u2019s Research Coordination Network on Assessing and Predicting Job Outcomes in AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She helps others understand AI\u2019s impact on the job market through her work at Howard University, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>This weekend, Professor Mais Alraee of Montgomery College participated in the <a href=\"https:\/\/cea.howard.edu\/articles\/howard-university-launches-howard-ai-network-powered-aws-accelerate-ai-research\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Howard AI Network Powered by AWS Faculty Bootcamp)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Howard AI Network Powered by AWS Faculty Bootcamp<\/a>, which focused on developing AI curricula and writing effective proposals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Over three days, participants explored topics such as Generative AI, Foundation Models, LLMs, Amazon Bedrock, Responsible AI, PartyRock, LangChain, Chatbots, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They collaborated to integrate these technologies into course materials and assignments, enhancing teaching across disciplines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Professor Alraee highlighted the value of teamwork in creating applications, drafting AI policies for syllabi, and presenting group projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She expressed gratitude to the Howard AI Network, Dr. Talitha Washington, and others for their leadership in advancing AI education.<\/p>\n<p>She acknowledged the ML operations program manager and curriculum developer for organizing the bootcamp.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Washington has also led initiatives such as the NSF\u2019s Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program and has promoted best practices for supporting diverse talent in STEM.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jAJMcNbnFKY&amp;t=1506s\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (STEM City&#x2019;s Service to Nation event for National Apprenticeship Week)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">STEM City\u2019s Service to Nation event for National Apprenticeship Week<\/a>, she advised students that while technical skills open doors, human skills drive success.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She clarified that AI is reshaping work by changing tasks and supporting roles, not simply eliminating jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many job outcomes now depend on AI literacy and adaptability.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Echoing Dr. McCrary, she stressed three skills\u00a0essential in the AI era:<\/p>\n<p>Critical thinking&#13;<br \/>\n\tEffective prompting&#13;<br \/>\n\tEthical judgment\u00a0\u00a0&#13;<\/p>\n<p>Understanding AI\u2019s strengths and limitations is also crucial.\u00a0&#13;<br \/>\n\tBecause AI relies heavily on data, strong reading skills and the ability to analyze and interpret information are important.\u00a0&#13;<br \/>\n\tCreativity is essential for developing new solutions, and communication skills are vital for collaboration.\u00a0&#13;<br \/>\n\tAlways prioritize fairness, safety, and responsibility.&#13;<\/p>\n<p>Numerous online credentials are available, including the Microsoft Certified:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/credentials\/certifications\/azure-ai-fundamentals\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Azure AI Fundamentals)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Azure AI Fundamentals<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skills.google\/paths\/2336\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Google AI Essentials)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Google AI Essentials<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/training\/?trk=d384315d-2582-41df-b991-6749826a6419&amp;sc_channel=ps&amp;trk=d384315d-2582-41df-b991-6749826a6419&amp;ef_id=:G:s&amp;s_kwcid=AL!4422!3!!p!!o!!aws%20learn!487441714!1141294917455956&amp;msclkid=390252f19fcc1bb4a3de38c9ad5de931\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Amazon\/AWS Certified AI Practitioner)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Amazon\/AWS Certified AI Practitioner<\/a>, Anthropic Academy\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/learn\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Claude 101)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Claude 101<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netacad.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Link opens in new window (Cisco Networking Academy)\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cisco Networking Academy<\/a>\u2019s AI Fundamentals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These courses provide certifications in AI and cloud basics, practical AI skills, machine learning, generative AI, prompting, and foundational knowledge.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Washington recommends starting with free or beginner courses, checking age requirements, and saving certificates or badges to display on your LinkedIn profile.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She encourages students to enjoy the learning process, avoid harsh judgment of others, and remain persistent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At a recent STEM City Service to Nation event, Dr. Victor McCrary highlighted that artificial intelligence (AI) is&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":81255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[24,25,309,76,44316,4193,44317,134],"class_list":["post-81254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ai","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-business","tag-education","tag-hbcu-technet","tag-metaverse","tag-on-campus","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}