Exploring the Differences among IT Majors and Non-Majors: Modeling the Effects of Gender Role Congruity, Individual Identity, and IT Self-Efficacy on IT Career Choices

The Millenials are capable of undertaking IT majors to acquire the skills needed for success in the IT profession, yet relatively few choose to do so. How might we begin to explain the similarities and differences between the decision-making of those who choose to pursue IT-majors and those who do not? In this study, we use individual-identity and self-efficacy along with gender role theory to understand undergraduate students’ IT career decision making. By exploring both societal and individual factors, we find a middle ground that avoids the dual problems of social determinism and of seeing college students as completely free-agents. By doing so, we are able to compare how these societal and individual factors shape career intentions for both majors/nonmajors. The theoretical implication of this study lies in its transformative potential with respect to theorizing the problem of underrepresentation of women and certain groups of men in field of IT.