Antecedents to career transition of Information Technology professional

Abstract

This research investigates the transition of Information Technology (IT) professionals to other functional areas, a phenomenon named as "turn away", via the identification of the antecedents associated with IT professionals' intention to abandon this area. In order to achieve this purpose, an explanatory research was conducted and operationalized literature review, aiming the proposition of a structural model that could explain that phenomenon, as well as the development of respective research hypothesis associated with the IT professional career transition. Then, by adopt­ing an empirical approach operationalized by means of a web-survey and the application of multivariate statistics techniques based on structural equations modelling, the proposed model, as well as the research hypothesis, were tested. As a result, exhaustion with work in the IT area, dissatisfaction with the IT area in general, the need to acquire further professional experience to remain attractive to the job market, the need for professional growth, as well as previous and conscious managerial training and development, were supported as statistically significant antecedents of IT professional career transition to other functional areas. Lastly, managerial implications arising from this work, as well as the research limitations were presented.