Investing in STEM is old school.

If we put all of our resources into improving Science Technology Engineering and Math programs, will poor schools flourish? Will disengaged students become inspired? Will the lack of passionate teachers suddenly be supplanted by a surplus of them? Will the 1.8 million young adults who dropped out of high-school last year become positive contributors to society?

Probably not, but we may have a whole lot more average engineers working 9-5 for a hefty paycheck. Here’s the thing: everyday there are new initiatives to improve STEM in schools, but the fact is, as a grant-giver at a tech company I’ve noticed that schools are in need of much more radical change that goes deeper than advancing certain curriculum.

Students need leaders to think fresh about the role of education in society and how it guides the future. The private sector can do so much more than invest in programs that produce their future workforce. We need to support the personalization of education and create equality in the way we guide our students.

Who Invests in Education…and why?

In the 1950's an executive at an oil company decided to give a grant to the nearby Princeton School of Engineering to support the development of their future workforce. This was the first time “corporate giving” played a part in supporting education. In fact, it might’ve been the first time corporate giving emerged as an option for spending. The idea that a company can influence an external societal force to create mutually beneficial rewards was novel.

At that time, stockholders in the company perceived this act as a horrible waste of corporate funds and took to litigation. The answer to whether the company would directly profit from those future engineers was unclear since they could work wherever they wanted after graduation. But, the court still deemed the the funding within reason.

Skip to the present and you’ll see that corporate giving, especially in the area of education, is common practice. Some may even say the education system relies on the private sector to finance and help drive a lot of the programs that pump students into the “jobs of the future.” This is certainly the case now with STEM thanks to the booming tech sector.

At Twitter, we fund the engineering program Girls Who Code and have been asked to work with the local school district to help support the improvement of STEM curriculum. Education is one of our key involvements, a passion of our employee base, and for us it is natural to contribute to the success of programs that will create more software engineers since we rely on them to build our product. Plus, it’s a good job that pays well so everyone wins!

But, when the education system allows the economy to dictate the areas of academia that are celebrated, everything else falls into the shadows and we loose sight of the full spectrum. Those who excel at those subjects in the shadows become a burden and we loose them. The hierarchy of Math/Science over Art/Humanities continues to devalue half of the population.

The Role of Education

Even more importantly, in this model we misconstrue the crux of education. Education should exist to offer people tools that help them navigate the world in a meaningful way; to help students determine what they’re good at and learn how they can contribute positively to the world no matter who they are or what they study.

Today, education seems to exist as a supply chain for the booming area of the economy, so we focus our attention on the areas that we see most economic value in. But, as Sir Ken Robinson puts it, “Creativity is the greatest gift of human intelligence. The more complex the world becomes, the more creative we need to be to meet its challenges.” So, if we only invest in STEM, will our creative juices keep flowing?

You Probably Shouldn’t Study That

I set out originally on a path to study journalism. I love to ask questions and observe strange acts of human nature, and even though I’m not the best writer I find myself most at home watching my words rather than hearing them. When I was in college though, the local publisher was going through heavy layoffs. It was the dawn of the age of digital media and the journalism world was having a panic attack. No one knew (perhaps we still don’t) how the future would unfold for journalism. The entire foundation of the field was grumbling.

By the time I was in the depths of my studies, the same people who were teaching me the pride of journalism and its determined ethics were guiding me away from becoming a part of it. All of my professors were alerting me to the impending doom that would come upon me if I was to pursue becoming a journalist. There was a strong undercurrent of negativity baked into the minds of me and my classmates, which led a large number of us to change direction.

Our school of journalism also encompassed advertising and public relations, so those were the most common alternatives when a student decided to pivot. I chose PR, thinking at least I could still be in the web of journalism, but far enough away if it crumbled. I did well, moved-on, and got good jobs in that sector.

Pretty quickly I realized it was not my calling. So, I rode the wave of uncertainty that most people probably ride when they realize their education was misguided, and eventually found myself in a happy accident that took me to where I am today in community relations. I have the great burden of helping decide where and how to invest in the community we operate in as a way to give back and create a positive business environment.

Passion Drives Prosperity

Today I see all breeds of journalists thriving and traveling and reporting meaningful pieces to an even greater audience than ever, thanks to (not in spite of) digital media. In fact, since the world of journalism has gone through so much change there is more demand for fresh minds than ever. If I continued down the path I was originally on, I would’ve been a part of the adventure. But I was guided toward the safer periphery and sent on a wild goose chase to rediscover what’s best for me.

To be clear, I fault no one for giving me advice about my mismatched career choice. But, I don’t want to see another student miss out on adventure just because economic forces are changing. The fact is, we don’t know what jobs will thrive in the future, but we do know if you aren’t passionate you will not be successful; no matter what you study.

Just Listen to Sir Ken Robinson

There is no one out there who can articulate the need for us to redefine education better than Sir Ken Robinson (I recommend this talk of his from April 2013.) I was introduced to him only recently, but realized quickly that while he deeply appreciates the need to support our future economy with an aptly educated workforce, what’s most important is to think about the bigger picture and look at the fundamental model of the system that we need to begin changing.

So, rather than focusing on STEM because the president said so, let’s think more fundamentally about the role the private sector can have in creating a better overall education system that produces not only the best engineers, but also breeds a whole society of creative, independent thinkers who pursue their true passions. There is no way to predict the rapidly changing future, so let’s talk honestly before we make kids think we know what’s best for them.