Is it cool to be a geek? Have students' perceptions of the IS profession changed in the last decade?

摘要

Despite the recent downturn in the Information Technology (IT) economy and the seemingly widespread layoffs, there is still a shortage of qualified personnel that is predicted to continue into the foreseeable future. Previous researchers felt that part of the shortage is attributable to misperceptions of the work-style of Information Systems (IS) graduates. This paper repeats a study of undergraduate business majors that was performed in 1989, and compares the perceptions of contemporary students with those previously reported. We found that contemporary students do indeed have similar perceptions of the background and work-styles of IS graduates.