The great STEM worker shortage - a zombie lie that never dies

[eppur_se_muova]

7. There is only a shortage of good jobs with decent wages, job security, and benefits proportional to the effort and ...

... expense on the part of those who pursued the extensive education necessary to fill those jobs.

Most academic jobs advertised nowadays are for "adjunct", temporary, short-term contract, non-tenure track, and often part-time positions. After more than 10 years of chasing such mirages, I've decided not even to apply to them. If you want to hire people to do difficult, challenging work, PAY THEM APPROPRIATELY.

Industrial jobs are little better -- they advertise for candidates with years of experience in several different specialties, knowing that anyone who fits that job description already works for them or their competitors. But if you have experience in, say, only four out of the seven specialties they're looking for, they're willing to negotiate down to a position with much lower salary, benefits, and job security ...