Research

Study: Young People Like Technology But Fewer Want IT Careers

New research conducted by CompTIA finds people between 13 and 24 are overwhelmingly comfortable with technology, but a much lower percentage are interested in careers in information technology.

• By Michael Hart
• 11/09/15

A survey of more than 1,000 people between the ages of 13 and 24 found them overwhelmingly comfortable with technology, even though a much smaller number expressed interest in careers in information technology.

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a trade group for the IT industry, surveyed 1,010 young people in September in conjunction with a companion study on millennials' views of the workplace, "Managing the Multigenerational Workforce."

While the survey found that 96 percent of people between the ages of 13 and 24 either like or love technology, only 19 percent of those 18 to 24 and 13 percent of those 13 to 17 said they were interested in IT careers. Study authors said the lower percentage for younger students was likely due to the fact that fewer had yet started taking their career choices seriously.

Most of those in the 18-24 age range who said they were not interested in an IT career said they had received very little information on the field. Meanwhile, 38 percent of those in the lower age bracket said no information had been available to them in their schools about IT-focused careers.

While there was only the slightest difference in attitudes between the genders – 97 percent of boys said they liked or loved technology compared with 95 percent of girls – the study did reveal that more boys were interested in IT as a career. In fact, 23 percent of boys said they were definitely interested, compared with 10 percent of girls. Nearly half of all boys (48 percent) said they may be interested, compared with 41 percent of all girls.