Start Date

10-12-2017 12:00 AM

Description

In the US, there has been wider implementation of college-based career interventions (CBCI) with the goal of enhancing graduate employability and persistence in technology careers. The systematic inquiries into the assumed link between CBCI and salient early IT career outcomes remain limited. The goals of the current research are twofold. First, we examine the relationship between direct and vicarious experiences of CBCI and initial IT employment. Second, we examine the relationship between the direct and vicarious experiences of CBCI and IT career persistence. Using the NLSY97 survey data, we test the hypotheses. Our findings relay that cooperative education, internship and mentorship experiences increase the likelihood of initial IT employment. We find that internship and mentorship experiences prompt increased levels of persistence in early IT careers. Contrary to our expectation, we find that job shadowing may undermine women’s persistence in IT. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.

Share

COinS
 
Dec 10th, 12:00 AM

College-Based Career Interventions: Raising Employability and Persistence in Early Careers of IT Professionals

In the US, there has been wider implementation of college-based career interventions (CBCI) with the goal of enhancing graduate employability and persistence in technology careers. The systematic inquiries into the assumed link between CBCI and salient early IT career outcomes remain limited. The goals of the current research are twofold. First, we examine the relationship between direct and vicarious experiences of CBCI and initial IT employment. Second, we examine the relationship between the direct and vicarious experiences of CBCI and IT career persistence. Using the NLSY97 survey data, we test the hypotheses. Our findings relay that cooperative education, internship and mentorship experiences increase the likelihood of initial IT employment. We find that internship and mentorship experiences prompt increased levels of persistence in early IT careers. Contrary to our expectation, we find that job shadowing may undermine women’s persistence in IT. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.