Is a STEM degree still valuable in this AI era?

As a recent graduate with a STEM degree, living in this AI era feels like unwrapping a blind box daily, wondering if today’s AI will be capable of replacing your tasks. AI, specifically ChatGPT, emerged midway through my journey pursuing a bachelor's degree. I remember when I was a novice programmer, relying heavily on code generated by a robot for my assignments. Eventually, I abandoned the debugging process and chose to rewrite my code word by word, keeping my nose to the grindstone in documentation and forums instead.

It has been so far, but also so fast, that artificial intelligence in 2025 can now produce a working app from scratch with zero code—totally vibe coding. In May 2025, Google announced their latest AI product, Veo 3. Its ability to generate not only high-quality video content but also synchronised audio, including dialogue, sound effects, and ambient noise, directly from text prompts is stunning and terrifying.

This makes me wonder if my educational efforts are still worthwhile, and if a STEM degree is as useful as it once was.

For this matter, I sought the opinion of an employer and innovator who has excelled at the forefront for over a decade. His perspective offered some much-needed clarity – and a few crucial challenges – to this very question.

The evolving value of a STEM degree in the AI era

Universities need to quickly adapt to changes.

From their (employers’) vantage point, looking ahead, one of the biggest hurdles isn't necessarily the AI itself, but rather the pace of change within traditional institutions. Universities, it seems, just aren't built for speed. He pointed out that these large educational bodies simply "do not restructure their curricula quickly enough" to keep up with the lightning-fast advancements in AI.

In the next year or two, while the workplace demands more development, design, and practical application, the education market will still be playing catch-up. And it's not just academia; "companies are slow as well" in changing their hiring requirements. It's a systemic inertia.

So, if universities are lagging, does that mean your hard-earned STEM degree is losing its shine?

Not so fast. There's still a profound, underlying value to that piece of paper.

Getting a degree demonstrates your passion and discipline.

For employers, hiring someone without a degree carries a certain "risk management" factor. A degree isn't just about the knowledge; it signals a "level of passion" and "discipline." It shows you can commit, learn, and follow a structured path – qualities that remain invaluable regardless of how advanced AI becomes.

However, a critical challenge remains: the practicality gap. He noted that while graduates from theory-based traditional institutions might be strong on theoretical knowledge, they often "struggle to turn their knowledge into practical stuff." It's less about what you know and more about what you can do with it.

The mode of learning itself has shifted dramatically, especially post-COVID, emphasising accessibility and, crucially, applicable skills. Individuals who proactively learn "to do stuff" from resources like Khan Academy are seen as potentially outperforming those who focus solely on traditional academic outcomes.

Experiences in conquering difficulties shape a person’s soft skills.

The true value of universities in the AI era will increasingly depend on how well they prepare graduates to use knowledge and adapt to a constantly evolving technological environment.

AI is a tool for humans, and the quality of its output relies on how effectively it's used. A STEM degree emphasises critical thinking, design thinking, and problem-solving skills. The experiences from challenging assignments and pressures help shape how a graduate critically uses AI.

It's like giving top-tier running shoes to both an average person and an athlete; the athlete is more likely to perform better.

Understanding the process behind the outcome.

Everyone knows AI always gives an answer to your questions, but not many understand how it happens.

One crucial insight from the innovator is that universities, despite their perceived slowness, have a unique and vital role to play: teaching the processes behind the outcome.

In an era where AI can rapidly generate results, the ability to understand how those results are achieved, the underlying principles, and the historical context of technological development becomes paramount. He highlighted the importance of learning "the histories of these outcomes," stressing that a generation that only understands the end product without appreciating its genesis (e.g., from C++ and binary to the complexities of PHP) risks lacking crucial foundational knowledge. This deep dive into the "top and bottom" of a field, rather than just its breadth, is what truly differentiates professionals and ensures they can adapt when the outcomes themselves are automated.

Future job trends

Based on the above table, it's clear that jobs setting the trends demand higher cognitive, technological, social, and emotional skills—areas where AI currently falls short. This highlights the value of a STEM degree, which can help develop these crucial soft skills.

Pair your STEM degree wisely.

STEM remains a powerful career path, but combining it with business, communication, and leadership skills is crucial. Employers are increasingly looking for versatile professionals who can incorporate AI and automation into business processes.

If it's not financially feasible to pursue a double degree or further education, gaining real-world professional experience that highlights your soft skills can be just as impactful.

Yes, AI will replace “your” job one day, but not “you”

A report from the 2025 World Economic Forum indicates that by 2040, 40% of programming tasks could be automated. Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, notes growth in AI-related fields like cybersecurity, while routine STEM jobs are increasingly handled by algorithms. However, complex innovation, such as breakthrough R&D, will stay human-driven for longer.

This doesn't render a STEM degree worthless. In fact, STEM graduates are more valued as their skills will be applied to precise, emotion-driven, and innovative work, thanks to automation easing the load.

As a developer, AI has freed up my time to focus on error detection. And while I am a designer, it has allowed me to concentrate on refining designs, with content writing taken care of by AI.

"You don't truly understand it until you've lived it."

AI can't fully grasp human experience without going through life’s myriad experiences -- being raised as an infant, having fun, getting injured, making friends, eating, excreting, getting sick and getting old... All of these experiences shape a person’s mind and personality, which make up the essence of intelligence.

In contrast, AI always operates under ideal conditions. So as long as our ultimate product is to serve humans, it won't replace humans in the process, nor the worth of a degree.

The true picture is, the routine parts of jobs may be automated, but people will move on to tasks only humans can do.

And having a STEM degree can determine whether you'll be removed from your position or have the privilege of moving on to the next task.