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IT jobs are alright with the kids

Graeme Wearden ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 20 Aug 2003 17:30 BST

A career in the IT industry would be a dream move for many of today's teenagers, according to a survey that suggests there will be plenty of competition for jobs in Britain's tech sector in the decades ahead.

Parity, an e-business and systems integration company that also has a recruiting arm, conducted the research by interviewing 100 children.

Twenty-two of those surveyed said that their ideal career would involve working with computing -- making it the most popular choice cited, even above pop stardom.

The reasons most commonly given by those eying up an IT career was that they believed it would mean a good salary, and that the work would be exciting.

So, although Parity only used a small sample of 12 to 15 year olds, it appears that this age group is looking favourably on the world of technology.

"In the past, people have bemoaned a perceived lack of interest in IT in the UK," said Peter Linas of Parity in a statement.

"This tide has been reversed in recent years and it’s great to see from this research that IT is capturing the younger generation's imagination. This goes to show that the tech industry’s image has changed significantly over a short period of time," Linas added.

Parity's research also found that few of those interviewed believed that being an IT professional was fun, something the company believes needs to be addressed by the tech industry.