Career Anchor and Information Technology Major Choice of First-Generation College Students

This study looks at the career anchors of first-generation college students (henceforth referred to as FGCSs) and their decision to pursue an information technology (IT) major. FGCSs are defined as college students whose parents did not complete any 4-year college/university degrees. They make up approximately 25% of today's undergraduate population (Dika and D'Amico, 2016). Prior studies have identified obstacles that FGCSs faced in their IT career choice, such as stereotypes, lack of interest, family connections, funding, and job opportunities in IT (Deng, Zara, and Armstrong, 2022) - mostly stemming from the students' being the first in their family to pursue higher education. To better understand the unique experience of FGCSs in their consideration of IT careers, our research examines the career anchors of FGCSs and the relationship between their career anchors and IT major choice. This paper will answer three research questions (RQs): (1) Does the FGCS status affect the IT Major choice of a college student? (2) Does a career anchor affect the IT Major choice of a college student? (3) Does a career anchor affect the IT Major choice of a FGCS?