Admittedly, it is not an enviable place to be. Lakeland should not be expected to be in the same class as those at the top of the high-tech job food chain: for instance, Houston, home of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, ranked number one; Raleigh, N.C., (No. 3) home of the Piedmont Region’s Research Triangle, is located between three top universities; and Seattle (No. 6), home of futuristic thinkers at Microsoft and Amazon, is generally considered on the cutting edge of trends in this field. On the other hand, there is no glossing over Lakeland’s rating. This is not a sought-after place for skilled labor in high-tech jobs, based on WalletHub’s analysis. Still, Lakeland’s standing must be considered within the context of the overall list. Florida had five of the bottom 10, meaning four other communities trailed our area, with Miami-Fort Lauderdale bringing up the list’s absolute rear. Tampa ranked highest among Sunshine State STEM communities, in 60th place.
WalletHub’s researchers rated the nation’s 100 most populated metro areas according to 11 different metrics. Part of that included existing job openings per capita for STEM grads, the percentage of all the community’s workers in such occupations, the anticipated number of STEM Jobs needed by 2018 (although that was based on state-level data, and the unemployment rate for people with at least a bachelor’s degrees. But part of the rating also considered the community’s availability of recreational facilities and best areas for families. Suffice to say more than simple employment mattered, and in the lifestyle considerations, Florida fared much better.
That said, however, the rankings, and Lakeland’s place within it, should matter locally for a couple of reasons. For one thing, according to U.S. Department of Commerce projections, as cited by WalletHub, STEM professions will grow nearly twice as fast as non-STEM occupations between now and 2018. The researchers also point out that America will need roughly 1 million new STEM jobs to continue to fend off global competitors. And these are some of the best-paying jobs around. Relative to non-STEM positions, STEM jobs are “earning higher salaries and facing lower threats of unemployment.” The average salary for all STEM jobs in 2013 was $79,640, according to WalletHub’s report (here: http://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-metro-areas-for-stem-professionals/9200/), which was 71 percent above the national annual average salary for all jobs of $46,440.
The other concern is that Florida, with an economy built largely on tourism and agriculture, is often viewed as one of the last destinations in the country for STEM jobs — as evidenced by WalletHub’s study. And many of the state’s biggest metro areas continue to lag behind other regions across the country despite attempts to beef up STEM education.
But while the prospect of losing out on demanding, education-intensive but lucrative jobs might generate despair, it’s time to recognize opportunity. Gov. Rick Scott and other policy-makers in Tallahassee, as well as the leadership of the state’s business community, have recognized this shortcoming and are working to correct it. A year ago, the governor proposed $30 million for the current budget to fund workforce training in science and technology professions. In 2013, he suggested reducing tuition, and freezing it at that level, for students in STEM majors. Three years ago, Scott signed onto the plan hatched by former state Sen. J.D. Alexander of Lake Wales to create Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, an institution devoted to STEM education. And in 2011, Workforce Florida and Enterprise Florida unveiled a five-year plan to boost STEM employment through an initiative called STEMflorida.
Lakeland is uniquely positioned to take advantage of Tallahassee’s emphasis on trying to put more high-tech into higher education. Promoting STEM careers, Scott once said, to the consternation of many, “You know, we don’t need a lot more anthropologists in the state. It’s a great degree if people want to get it, but we don’t need them here.” We disagree to some extent. A community can thrive with a balance of academic disciplines among its better educated residents.
Lakeland’s distinction is that it is a college-friendly town with a cornerstone already laid for one of the most flourishing fields in the economy. Let’s not mope about being 91st; rather, as the governor once put it, let’s get to work to move up the ladder.
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