Bielefeld, Germany - Interest in new media is leading recent graduates to pick careers in the IT industry, according to a new study by the Bielefeld-based Centre for Excellence in Technical Diversity and Equal Opportunity.
Men tend to pick these jobs because the "enjoy technology," while women are attracted by the career possibilities, according to the study titled (Successful) Entry in IT Careers - Studies of the Orientation and Job Entry Phases of Men and Women.
The study included interviews with about 2 000 male and female workers, some training for IT jobs, others already in the field.
Women were almost twice as likely as men to say they could not get a trainee position in their desired field. They were also more likely to say they were unsure about IT as a career choice and that they weren't sure they were up to the demands of the job, reported the centre.
Human resources divisions from 20 firms questioned agreed that these differences between male and female workers pop up regularly in the workplace. Companies said they frequently observed lack of confidence among their female workers, but that young women were often more mature than their male counterparts.
Male job applicants generally displayed more confidence and had greater knowledge about the field. But the departments also noted they were overly confident about their skills and often displayed a lack of communication skills.
The study is the fourth paper put out by the Bielefeld centre.