The Perceptions of Undergraduate Students Associated with a Career in Technology -- An Analysis by Academic Year

In both the educational and business environments, two trends may be inarguable. The difference between the demand of technology positions as compared to the number of people majoring or interested in technology-based careers. Secondly, the education environment is radically changing in several aspects including a high number of undecided majors entering undergraduate institutions as well as the ability of skills development by higher education students entering the marketplace. The recent and historic attention in artificial intelligence and machine learning technology may have an impact on both a change in the demand for total positions and interest in technology-based careers. This research study will investigate the attitudes and perceptions of first-year college students over four academic years to determine changes. Six of the factors studied were found to have significant differences between the research period: attitude, job availability, personal image, social image, subjective norm and intent to major. The intent to major has remained consistently low for three of the four years. The implications from this research will provide insight to both business organizations for recruiting as well as all educational institutions.