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Title:
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COLLEGE/HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' CYBERSECURITY CAREER INTEREST |
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Author(s):
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Anthony Joseph, Mary Joseph and Tega Ileleji |
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ISBN:
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978-989-8704-40-5 |
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Editors:
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Piet Kommers and Mário Macedo |
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Year:
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2022 |
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Edition:
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Single |
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Keywords:
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Cybersecurity, Career Interest, Generation Z, Millennials, Workforce Shortage |
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Type:
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Full Paper |
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First Page:
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66 |
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Last Page:
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76 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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This study investigates college and high school students' career interest in cybersecurity. It intends to contribute to the research that explores millennials' and generation Z general lack of interest in the cybersecurity field. The dataset consists of 163 college and high school students who responded to a career interest Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) semantic survey adapted to include cybersecurity and computer science. Students rated five sets of paired semantic interest scales: Fascinating to mundane, appealing to unappealing, exciting to unexciting, means nothing to means a lot, and boring to interesting with fascinating, appealing, exciting, means nothing and boring having a rating value of 1. Research showed that there is a shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Yet, millennials are barely interested in a cybersecurity career. The technology workforce is about 90% Whites and Asians and 75% males. Moreover, non-Whites and non-Asians have been leaving the industry workforce because of perceived unfair treatment. This investigation found that the sample of students generally had low cybersecurity and STEM interest, thereby substantiating previous research findings. In addition, there were no statistically significant differences in the mean cybersecurity interest ratings of the various subgroups used in the study: males and females, Whites and Asians and non-Whites and non-Asians, and White and Asian Males and non-White and non-Asian males and females. Therefore, in practical and statistical terms, students' interest in cybersecurity was generally low and essentially the same among the subgroups. |
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