Take it from a criminal justice major who ended up going into student loan debt because I felt like I just downright “needed” to get it from a university. NOTE, I’m not saying don’t go to college, I’m saying unless you are majoring in one of the fields I named, you’d be better off enrolling at a JUCO or Community College. Now if you have a scholarship then that’s a different story. I was originally in a community college but ended up transferring because that school only offered associate degrees (my other excuse for leaving lol). College as a whole is way too fucking expensive to begin with but I feel as though it would be more worth it if you were in the majors I mentioned. I do realize that there are many graduates who have majored in other fields and feel content and that’s great.
Not sure which part of STEM you’re talking about. Me and all my classmates who graduated with various engineering degrees (civil, mechanical, petroleum, and aerospace) are having to practically beat recruiters away with a stick.
Most people equate stem with comp sci and forget that’s just the newest addition to the group although arguably the lowest barrier to entry with some of the highest top ends.