Have you ever considered teaching your STEM experience to students? 

If you wonder where to next aim your professional energy for the greatest impact, you may be surprised by how gratifying bringing your industry expertise to STEM classrooms could be. It is empowering, inspiring, and personally rewarding work.

One of the most impactful career decisions that an experienced STEM professional can make is providing students with an expert mentor. By modeling success in the field, you increase their chances of success. The EnCorps STEM Teachers Fellowship program works with transitioning STEM experts who are exploring a teaching path. EnCorps teachers are changing the world, one STEM class at a time. 

Building the Future

The brightest career path for current students is a future in STEM. More than half a million new jobs are predicted to be created in the American STEM labor market in the next five years, growing demand by 11%. And STEM careers average double the pay of other careers, often offering six-figure salaries. A career in STEM is one of the most predictable paths for upward economic mobility.  By offering your expertise, you are opening doors to the best futures your students could choose.

 

Recharting the Course of a Career

We remember the teachers whose words and actions changed our lives for the better. Imagine changing a student’s life with:

  • One moment of encouragement
  • One helpful metaphor that clarifies a challenging concept
  • One example of a challenging moment and how you worked through it
  • One exciting story of how you applied this concept in the real world 

You could create a positive compounding interest impact in a student’s future by reaching them at a vital point in their education now. 

Being an Example 

Students who have skilled and supportive teachers have a much higher likelihood of graduating high school prepared for college and the workforce. And students who can learn from a subject matter expert with real experience in the field are more engaged. Your daily task list from your professional career can sound wildly impressive to a student who has never met someone who really works in the fields that make our modern-day society run.

If you are from a demographic that is underrepresented in the STEM workforce, your impact may be even greater. Presenting new role models to students who are female, Latinx, Black, and have disabilities changes their mental models of what a successful STEM professional looks like and expands how they view themselves and the future.    

Resetting the Emotional Thermostat

The mood of a teacher matters deeply to their students.  Through the phenomenon of emotional convergence, if you are a positive and passionate subject expert, the students that you teach will be more likely to have a positive affiliation with the subject matter, which is a large part of what keeps a student engaged enough to succeed in a challenging area.

Additionally, students tend to automatically mimic the physical and vocal patterns of the person in a leadership role. When you present them with an example of how a STEM professional moves through the world, they will subconsciously pattern themselves after you as someone who is confident and comfortable in a STEM environment. This sets them up for continued success in higher-level classes and experience through college and work environments.

EnCorps Teaching Program

If you are a STEM professional considering a move to teaching, explore the EnCorps Teaching Program here. EnCorps Fellows receive instruction, mentorship, and volunteer opportunities without committing to a teaching credential or position. You may create a future for yourself full of engaging discussions and incredible alumni changing the face of the STEM industry. 

Learn More about transitioning to STEM education in your local community!

Sources

  1. Workforce Readiness Requires Stronger STEM Education – National Math and Science Initiative
  2. Creating a Diverse STEM Workforce – Penn State
  3. Donate to EnCorps | STEM Education for under-resourced students – EnCorps
  4. Numbers, research, and discovery: STEM employment projected to take off! – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  5. Editorial: The role of teachers’ emotions in students’ outcomes: From the perspective of interpersonal emotions – PubMed Central
  6. Teacher emotions in the classroom and their implications for students – Educational Psychologist, Taylor & Francis
  7. For CTE teachers, real-world experience matters – National Council on Teacher Quality
  8. Student Test Scores Keep Falling. What’s Really to Blame? (Opinion) – Education Week
  9. The STEM teacher workforce in high-need schools is surprisingly resilient – Brookings Institution
  10. The STEM teacher workforce in high-need schools is surprisingly resilient – Brookings Institution
  11. The Ultimate List of STEM Statistics 2025 | 75+ STEM Education Stats – CodeWizardsHQ