Students think a career in IT will be boring

The British Computer Society has been polling students on their attitudes to a career in IT. The future, according to respondents, appears bleak.

The research, released through the BCS by CRAC, the Career Development Organisation, polled some 2000 students, and was described by the BCS as major. Overall it found that although the majority of respondents thought that the profession offered up good prospects for well-paid jobs, they also believed that such roles would be unfulfilling, or boring.

“Over 60% of non-computing students cited boring work as the main reason they would not join the sector,” said, CRAC Development Director Robin Mellors-Bourne. “Employers should be able to counter that kind of perception. We found that very few of the students hold negative perceptions about the IT profession or its people."

“Greater exposure of young people to the merits of a job in the IT sector is vital, we need to show them the variety of roles in IT and the importance that IT carries today – IT is at the heart of business these days and there are real opportunities now to have a career in IT which will ultimately lead to a position on the board,” added Mike Rodd, director of BCS Learned Society.

The research also highlighted a difference in opinions held between male and female students, said, Mellors-Bourne, "The survey suggests that many women will be attracted by the impact that IT projects have in other sectors and areas of life, while the men tend to like the technical projects”.