five insights from studying teen views on tech careers

Five Insights Studying Teen Views on Tech Careers

Presented by Charles EatonCEO, Creating IT Futures Foundation

Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org

About the National Study

326 students and 325 parents of teens were surveyed:– Enrolled in a public school– In the 11th or 12th grade– Grades in school are mostly B’s or C’s– No history of expulsion – Lives in an urban area– Household income less than $65,000– African-American or Hispanic/Latino

3

Insight #1

Urban Teens Want Tech Careers


Teens Choose Computers & Technology over Other Careers

Top Ten Careers of InterestBusiness owner 18%

Software Programmer 17%

Nurse or Doctor 16%

Civil Engineer 15%

Lawyer 12%

Computer Technician 11%

Military Job 11%

Computer Design Engineer 11%

Architect 7%

Engineer 7%

Career Categories of InterestComputers/Technology 42%Building and fixing things 32%Business and retail 31%Helping people 31%Law/Military 29%Music and art 23%Science 15%Managing money 14%Sports 10%Writing and reading 10%Social studies 9%Nature 5%

Interest in Computer & Technology Careers

Computers/Technology, including: 42%Software Programmer 17%Computer Technician 11%Computer Design Engineer 11%Web or App Developer 6%Database Administrator 4%


People Skills Are More Common than Tech SkillsStrong Skills & School Subjects

Being friendly 54%

Being creative 51%

Being a good listener 47%

Accepting responsibility 40%

Listening to others 39%

Art 34%

Math 34%

Working with my hands 33%

Thinking logically 32%

Music 31%

Working with technology 31%

Solving problems 30%

Managing money 29%

Developing relationships 28%

Computer science 27%

Motivating others 24%

Writing 24%

Strong Skills & School Subjects

Organizing things and information 24%

Developing goals and sticking to them 23%

Counseling others 23%

History and social sciences 23%

Meeting deadlines 21%

Leading others 20%

Science 20%

Drama 19%

Researching information 18%

Reading and analyzing literature 16%

Planning events 15%

Editing others’ writing 15%

Foreign languages 14%

Selling ideas and products 14%

Public speaking 13%

None of the above 1%

6 Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org

Source: Change the Equation

7

Insight #2

Teens Want a Job They Love


Teens Want Careers & Education, and Many Want to Help Their Parents

Getting married or starting a family

Traveling to new cities or countries

Making a contribution to society

Moving into a better neighborhood

Having a career that others respect

Having a lot of money

Helping other people

Gaining more independence from my family

Owning my own home

Helping my parent(s) with money or housing

Going to college

Getting more education and training after high school

Having a job I love

30%

34%

44%

37%

35%

34%

45%

40%

30%

38%

34%

38%

37%

31%

27%

23%

30%

36%

39%

29%

34%

46%

39%

44%

41%

51%

61%

61%

66%

67%

71%

72%

74%

74%

76%

76%

78%

79%

88%

Series 3 Extremely Important[n=336 Teens]


Boys Want Homes, Girls Want College

Top Three Aspirations for the Next 5 to 10 Years(% citing as very or extremely important)

African American Boys

African American Girls

Hispanic/Latino Boys

Hispanic/Latina Girls

1. Having a job I love (88%)

2. Owning my own home (81%)

3. Having a lot of money (81%)


2. Getting more education and training after high school (83%)

3. Going to college (80%)


2. Getting more education and training after high school (78%)

3. Owning my own home (77%)


2. Helping my parent(s) with money or housing (82%)

3. Going to college (81%)


Careers and Learning Are More Important than Power and Prestige to Teens

Working in an office

Having authority or power over others

Being a manager

Solving puzzles or problems

Working for myself or having my own business

Being the CEO or the main person in charge

Getting to travel to new cities or countries

Working independently

Working with others as a team

Being creative or artistic

Leading and inspiring others at work

Helping other people

Working in a field where it is always easy to find a job

Making a lot of money

Learning new things all the time

Having a career, not just a job

26%

29%

36%

36%

32%

33%

33%

38%

41%

39%

44%

42%

42%

36%

46%

39%

22%

22%

19%

21%

26%

29%

29%

26%

25%

33%

28%

30%

31%

36%

32%

45%

48%

51%

54%

57%

58%

62%

62%

64%

66%

71%

72%

72%

73%

73%

78%

84%

Series 3 Extremely Important[n=336 Teens]

11

Insight #3

Parents Matter


Who Do You Rely On Most to Talk about…

Teens Rely on Parents for Planning Their Future

…what you will do after high school?

A parent/guardian 77%

A teacher at school 32%

A friend 34%

Another family member 27%

School counselor/staff 25%

A coach 19%

Somebody else 1%


…what you might be good at and enjoy doing?



A friend 33%



A coach 15%

Somebody else 1%


…different types of jobs and careers?



A friend 27%



A coach 10%

Somebody else 1%



Fewer than Half of Teens Are Often Discussing their Future with Parents

… discuss and help you with homework assignments?

… give you feedback about things you are good at and might enjoy doing in the future?

… talk about different types of jobs and careers that might be available to you?

… talk specifically about your plans for after high school?

… talk about specific colleges you might attend or training programs you could enroll in after high school?

30%

47%

39%

45%

42%

29%

66%

58%

63%

56%

Parents

Teens

% Reporting “A Lot” of Discussions about Homework and the Future

How often do your parents . . .

[n=336]

[n=325]


Half of Teens Say Parents Expect Them to Go to College

Teens Parents

49%62%

43%34%

7% 4%They would not mind if I didn’t go to college

They want me to go to college, but if I got a decent job, it

would be OK not to

They say I have to go to college or I will not be successful in life

I would not mind if my child didn’t go to college

I want my child to go to college, but if he/she got a decent job, it would be OK not to

My child must go to college or he/she will not be successful in life

Parent Attitudes about Going to College

[n=336] [n=325]


Most Teens Plan to Go to College

Teens’ Plans after High School(multiple selections allowed) [n=336 Teens]

College or Trade School, including: 90%

Attend a 4-year college 57%

Attend a technical or trade school 26%


Get a job 29%

Go into the military 6%

Start a business 4%

Don’t know / Haven’t thought about it 4%

What Parents Hope Teens Will Do(multiple selections allowed) [n=325 Parents]





Get a job 25%


Start a business 7%


What Parents Say Teens Plan to Do(multiple selections allowed) [n=325 Parents]





Get a job 18%


Start a business 3%


16

Insight #4

IT Occupations Need Explanation


Teens and Parents Have a Vague Understanding of the Term “IT”

Teens Parents

28%20%

26%

22%

24%

29%

21%30% I definitely know what IT is

I’m pretty sure I know what IT is, but I’d want to check to be certain

I might know what IT is, but I’m not really sure without looking it up

I definitely don’t know what IT is

Familiarity with the Term IT

[n=336] [n=325]


Few Teens Know People in IT Jobs

Teens Parents

23%

36%

51%

35%

Have an IT Role Model

Have a personal

connection to somebody in IT

Have a personal

connection to somebody in IT

Have an IT Role Model

Including:• 40% someone they know• 8% celebrity or famous person• 4% person or character from TV

or movies

Including:• 29% someone they know• 5% celebrity or famous person• 3% person or character from TV

or movies

[n=336] [n=325]


Most See IT as Requiring an Excellent Math and Science Background

Teens Parents

12%18%

32%8%

25%

29%

17%33%

14% 12%Up to one year of training and classes after high school

Two years of train-ing and classes after high school

A four-year bache-lor's degree

A master's degree or higher

I have no idea

Teens Parents2% 1%

4% 12%

39%

48%

54%39%

Agree strongly

Agree somewhat

Disagree somewhat

Disagree strongly

Based on what you know, how much do you agree or disagree with this statement: People with information technology (IT) jobs need to do really well in math and science classes at school.

How much training and education do you think people with information technology (IT) jobs need?

[n=336] [n=325] [n=336] [n=325]


Most Think “Good Pay” When They Think of IT Careers

45%

41%

37%

37%

36%

26%

25%

24%

22%

18%

15%

8%

TeensPays well

Requires good math and science skills

Getting to think of ways to use technology to help people

Getting to play with lots of cool technology

Fun, interesting work

Easy-to-get job because there is always a need for IT workers

Working alone sitting in front of a computer all day

Difficult, complicated work

Competitive, with too many IT workers looking for jobs

Hard-to-get job with work sent to other countries

Just for tech geeks

Boring

59%

45%

53%

44%

36%

25%

20%

16%

25%

10%

13%

5%

Parents[n=336] [n=325]


Teens Express Strong Interest in IT Careers

0.12202380952381

18%

22% 17% 22%

39%

38% 45% 42%

31%40% 38% 36% Something I am def-

initely interested in

Something I may be interested in

Something I am not interested in

Don’t know/Haven’t thought about it

70% at least some interest




Overall Build, Install, & Repair

Write Software & Programs

Consult on Technology Usage


Focusing on IT in Other Chosen Fields Generates Interest as Well

22

19%

58%

23%

It would make me a lot more interested in IT

It would make me somewhat more interested in IT

It would not change my interest in IT

What if you could have a job in information technology (IT) within a career field you selected earlier. How would this change your interest in IT, if at all?

[n=124 Teens]


Pay and Love of Technology Drive Interest in IT Careers

47%

47%

43%

43%

43%

35%

30%

23%

1%

It would pay well

I like working with technology, computers, mobile phones, etc.

It would involve learning new things all the time as technology changes

It would be fun, interesting work

I like using technology to help people

There are a lot of career paths and opportunities to grow

I like solving logic problems

It would be easy to get a job because there is always a need for IT workers

Other reasons

Reasons for IT Interest[n=300 Teens]


But Teens Say Parents and Teachers Often Discourage IT as a Bad Fit

A teacher

A parent/guardian or grandparent

Another adult in my family

A coach

A school counselor or other school staff

Somebody else

26%

28%

13%

10%

5%

1%

32%

27%

12%

8%

4%

3%

51% of teens say somebody has told them they are not good at math

or science

49% of teens say somebody has told them an IT or STEM career is not a good fit for their

personality

[n=336] [n=336]


Nine out of Ten Feel They Could Succeed in an IT Career

Teens Parents

35%

32%

52%

57%

12% 11%

I would be a

natural

With hard

work, I could

be good at these things

I would probably struggle

— They’re just not

my thing

My child would

probably struggle

— It’s just

not their thing

My child

would be a

natural

With hard

work, my

child could

be good at these things

[n=336] [n=325]

26

Insight #5

Show, Don’t Tell


School Resources Are Least Favored as Ways to Learn about Careers

Going to work for a day or a week with mentors who do these jobs

Online career exploration tools and apps

Doing an internship during after-school hours

Doing an internship over a school holiday or summer

Going on site visits or tours where people do these jobs

Regular classes at school

Guest speakers in classes at school

Extracurricular activities at school

Activities through community programs outside of school

40%

38%

37%

36%

35%

34%

29%

28%

27%

How Teens Want to Learn about Jobs & Careers[n=336 Teens]


But Those Who Have Say It Encouraged Their Interest

62% say classes increased

their interest in IT

62%say after school activities

increased their interest in IT

Classes Activities

0.083969465648855 0.0561797752808989

0.114503816793893

0.146067415730337

0.175572519083969

0.179775280898876

0.412213740458015

0.460674157303371

0.213740458015267

0.157303370786517

I became much more interested in IT

I became somewhat more interested in IT

It did not change how I felt about IT

I became somewhat less interested in IT

I became much less interested in IT

[of n=131 teens] [of n=89 teens]


Most Teens Express Interest in IT Skills Development Programs

38% 40% 42%48% 46% 50%

56% 50% 46% 39%33%

31%

94%90% 88% 87%

79% 82%

Interest in Learning about IT Programs If . . . Very InterestedSomewhat Interested

… you could get paid for it as a job while in high school

… it would help you get into

college

… you could get high school course credit

for it

… it were related to

other areas of career interest

to you

… it involved helping to

solve a problem in

your community

… it involved helping to

solve a problem in your school

30 Survey of Teen Views on Tech Careers, 2015 | CreatingITFutures.org

Seven Things You Can Do

1. Appeal to their interest in the softs skills that are so relevant in tech careers

2. Educate their parents

3. Give them role models

4. Show them the breadth and depth of IT jobs and how many industries those jobs touch

5. Debunk the myth about math and science ability

6. Get them jobs – work-based learning

7. Don’t let them give up when it gets hard

Download the full white paperand all survey responses at CreatingITFutures.org