Friday's Innovation Inspiration - Get a real job

There may be some of you who don't remember this song, but in high school and early college it was one of my favorites. "Get a haircut and get a real job," by George Thorogood and the Destroyers, really spoke to the rebel in me. Most of my rebellious days are behind me now, and I certainly have a real job, a fantastic career at SAS. That's the reason for this post.

If written for today's kids, I think Thorogood's lyrics would be rewritten to say, "Get into STEM, and get a real job!" Across the globe, there is a growing shortage of STEM skills (science, technology, engineering and math).

My SAS colleagues and I want to make sure that every student gets an opportunity for a great education - it's the foundation for a wonderful, fulfilled life. There are many ways that SAS supports STEM education:

SAS Curriculum Pathways - Available at no cost to educators, SAS Curriculum Pathways equips teachers, students and parents with interactive, engaging, teaching tools and lessons that interest students and maximize technology, both in and out of school.

SAS EVAAS - A reporting package for educators to help identify students who may be at risk.

SAS On Demand for Academics - SAS hosts the computing power of the SAS System here at headquarters, and students and professors use a downloadable version of SAS Enterprise Guide to connect and complete their coursework, without the need for the IT infrastructure to support a SAS installation.

Student Scholarship Programs - This program offers scholarships to attend SAS users groups events to college students who are using SAS in their research projects.

Calendar of US Regional Users Groups Events

WUSS – September 5-7, Long Beach, CA

MWSUG – September 16-18, Minneapolis, MN

SESUG – October 14-16, Durham, NC

SCSUG – November 4-6, Houston, TX

NESUG – November 11-14, Baltimore, MD

Here's a link to a great YouTube video about the benefits students get from focusing on STEM subjects.

Is there anyone out there who wants to take a shot at rewritting Thorogood's lyrics for the upcoming STEM generation? It could be a hit.

Friday's Innovation Inspiration - Get a real job was published on SAS Users.