CanCon Podcast Ep. 61: Is it wrong to encourage young women into STEM careers?

After a unanimous panel verdict of “cautiously optimistic” last week regarding Canada’s #Budget2017, the CanCon podcast delves this week into a different strand of government “innovation” investments. Ford is getting cash after also grabbing BlackBerry employees in a manner that has inspired a class action lawsuit, while Bombardier’s bailout is being seen in a new light following revelations about the company’s executive compensation.

Speaking of large companies in need of cash injections, Samsung’s notorious no good, very bad 2016 is seemingly in the rear-view mirror following the announcement of the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The company has a lot riding on the superlative phones, but how should consumers respond in an age replete with quality mobile gadgets?

It is no secret that women in STEM careers are in the minority. But is the current movement to inspiring girls to enter STEM unfair? An op-ed published in The Toronto Star argues that this is the case. CanCon argues the ethics of encouraging girls to enter a field many grown women find unbearable.

Tune in as CanCon’s podcast crew – Erin Bury, Managing Director of 88, Rob Kenedi, TWG’s Entrepreneur in Residence and host of the amazing #smallrooms podcast, Patrick O’Rourke, MobileSyrup Senior Editor, and Douglas Soltys, BetaKit Editor in Chief – discusses BlackBerry/Bombardier boondoggles, if smartphones are still cool, and if we’re failing young girls with good intentions.

Have some hot takes on the topics that were covered? Maybe you want to suggest something for a future podcast! Perhaps you have a burning question about something you read in tech news that we didn’t cover. Email us, post a comment below with the answer or question, or better yet, rate CanCon 5-stars on iTunes and post your thoughts there.