Process of choosing a career path which can involve choices regarding education and training for a given career.
Published in Chapter:
Holland's Vocational Theory and Personality Traits of Information Technology Professionals
John W. Lounsbury (University of Tennessee at Knoxville and eCareerfit.com, USA), R. Scott Studham (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA), Robert P. Steel (University of Michigan at Dearborn, USA), Lucy W. Gibson (eCareerfit.com, USA), and Adam W. Drost (eCareerfit.com, USA)
Copyright: © 2009
|Pages: 15
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-659-4.ch030
Abstract
Drawing on Holland’s (1985, 1996) vocational theory and based on a sample of 9,011 IT professionals, two research questions were investigated. On what personality traits do IT professionals differ from other occupations and which of these are also related to their career satisfaction? Five traits met both these criteria—Emotional Resilience, Openness, Tough-Mindedness, and Customer Service—for which IT professionals had higher scores, and conscientiousness, for which they had lower scores. IT career satisfaction was also positively related to E xtraversion, Agreeableness/Teamwork, Assertiveness, Optimism, Tough-Mindedness, Work Drive, and Visionary Style. Results are discussed in terms of the fit of these traits with IT work and the value of these insights for personnel-management functions like selection, training, professional development, and career planning.