HARDHATS, BOOTS and GOGGLES REVISITED: STEM Career Development for the 21st Century

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers of the 21st century have replaced the nontraditional and higher wage yielding careers of earlier decades. For women and other groups still underrepresented in these high tech careers, effective career counseling interventions need to take into account the support structures these individuals may have along with combating the barriers that may still exist, such as stereotype threat and others that serve to hinder career entry or career success in the STEM fields. Social cognitive career theory offers a framework for developing and delivering such interventions. We review contemporary labor market statistics in these careers, overview current stereotype threat literature, introduce social cognitive career theory and its corresponding interventions, and provide a case study to illustrate effective and culturally competent career intervention strategies. Finally, we provide a list of internet-based resources as helpful tools relevant to STEM career counseling interventions.