An Examination of Factors That Influence Students’ IT Career Decisions
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-31-2016
Abstract
A key challenge resulting from the rapid growth of the information technology (IT) industry is finding enough qualified workers to fill available positions. In this paper, Holland’s Theory of Occupational Themes, Social Cognitive Career Theory, and Career Construction Theory are used to investigate how job-related beliefs, career planning perceptions, and occupational congruence work together to influence students’ career decisions, major satisfaction, and academic performance. Using 210 student responses, we empirically test a theoretically derived research model. Our findings suggest that job security is a strong predictor of both IT career optimism and career planning ability. In addition, career optimism and career planning ability are important antecedents of students’ IT career commitment, which significantly influences satisfaction with academic major. A modest portion of academic performance was explained by the model. Most notably, occupational congruence was found to be a poor predictor of academic major satisfaction and performance.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2016.1235473
Recommended Citation
Young, D. K., Carpenter, D., & Maasberg, M. (2016). An Examination of Factors That Influence Students’ IT Career Decisions. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 58(3), 253–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2016.1235473
Original Citation
Young, D. K., Carpenter, D., Maasberg, M. (2016). An Examination of Factors that Influence Students’ IT Career Decisions. Journal of Computer Information Systems. dx.doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2016.1235473