This week in Careers, a theme emerged: the importance of creativity in the STEM industry.
Just because you work in STEM doesn’t mean the way you approach your work should be siloed. Don’t feel as if you are only free to consider your work through a purely analytical, ‘rational’ lens.
If anything, failing to nurture your creative side could prove to be detrimental in coming years. As more industries incorporate AI and automation into elements of the work process, softer skills such as creativity will become more valuable, as they are (currently, at least) practically impossible to replicate with a machine.
Not to mention that while rational analysis is helpful for many scientific endeavours, thinking outside the box is often what separates the good from the great. Analysis can help solve problems, but often it is creativity that ultimately fixes them.
This week Hays’ Karen Young dove into the many benefits of developing your creativity regardless of what industry you are in. She pointed out that creativity is at the heart of innovation and, therefore, a fundamental element to any professional skillset.
We also heard from Joshua McNutt, a multidisciplinary designer at Pramerica. When he initially heard of the company, he had some preconceived ideas of what working there would be like, given that the finance industry is not often associated with creativity. He was pleasantly surprised, and explained to us this week how creativity is vital to executing his role effectively.
We also heard from Sarah Gallagher, a graduate at Takeda, who talked to us about the benefits of self-directed work teams and what she enjoys about her new role.
In jobs news, Energia revealed this week that it would take on 200 new recruits in the wake of a €3bn investment in renewable energy generation in Ireland.
Natus Medical also announced a variety of roles at its newly expanded operation in Gort, Co Galway.
Finally, Dowds Group confirmed that it will hire almost 70 people to support its lofty engineering ambitions and enable it to target higher-value contracts.
For more on any of these stories, check out the links above.
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