{"id":991,"date":"2026-06-25T14:55:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:55:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/?p=991"},"modified":"2026-06-25T14:55:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:55:03","slug":"careers-in-stem-connecting-learners-with-stem-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/2026\/06\/25\/careers-in-stem-connecting-learners-with-stem-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"Careers in STEM – Connecting Learners with STEM Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Beyond Coding: Inspiring Future STEM Careers<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n

Following the success of our recent Digital Xtra-funded coding clubs, we wanted to build on learners’ enthusiasm for technology by helping our young learners explore the wide range of careers available within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).<\/p>\n

To support this, we organised an online session where learners across West Lothian were invited to hear directly from Doug Kinloch (Software Security at Applied) and Rab Campbell (Growth Director at Social Value), two industry professionals working in STEM-related fields. Our speakers shared their career journeys, discussed what their jobs involve, and answered questions from curious young learners.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

There Is No Single Route into STEM<\/h3>\n

One of the strongest messages throughout the session was that there is no single pathway into a STEM career.<\/p>\n

Both speakers highlighted that where you start is not necessarily where you end up<\/em><\/strong>. They encouraged learners not to worry if they don’t yet know exactly what they want to do in the future. In fact, many professionals change direction several times throughout their careers, developing new skills and interests along the way.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

STEM and Creativity Go Hand in Hand<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another interesting discussion centred around the common misconception that pursuing a STEM career means leaving creativity behind.<\/p>\n

Our speakers challenged this myth, explaining that some of the most creative people they work with are employed in STEM-related industries. Examples included game designers, graphic designers and audio engineers.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Makes STEM Careers Rewarding?<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Potential Matters More Than Knowledge<\/h2>\n

Perhaps the most reassuring message of the session was that employers are often more interested in a person’s potential than what they already know.<\/p>\n

Our speakers explained that many organisations recruit individuals who demonstrate curiosity, enthusiasm, resilience and a willingness to learn. Technical knowledge can be taught, but qualities such as determination, problem-solving and a positive attitude are highly valued by employers.<\/p>\n

This helped reinforce the importance of learners continuing to develop their skills, ask questions and embrace new challenges.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking Forward<\/h2>\n

The session was a fantastic opportunity for learners to gain first-hand insight into STEM careers and hear from professionals who have taken different routes into industry.<\/p>\n

We would like to thank our guest speakers for giving up their time to inspire the next generation and for sharing such honest and encouraging advice. We hope the session has helped learners to see that STEM careers are diverse, creative, collaborative and accessible to anyone willing to learn and explore their interests.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beyond Coding: Inspiring Future STEM Careers Following the success of our recent Digital Xtra-funded coding clubs, we wanted to build on learners’ enthusiasm for technology by helping our young learners explore the wide range of careers available within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). To support this, we organised an online session where learners across …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15029,"featured_media":992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[113,104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coding-and-computational-thinking","category-digital-learning-in-action"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/public\/digitallearningteam\/uploads\/sites\/7490\/2026\/06\/25143032\/Banners-25-26-74.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15029"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=991"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":996,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions\/996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/wl\/digitallearningteam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}