Career choice for ICT among Liberian students: A multi-criteria decision-making study using analytical hierarchy process

Abstract

Information and communication technology graduates are among the highly skilled, paid, and perceived as capable and credible professionals worldwide. This has resonated in significant growth in the number of students pursuing careers in ICT at various African institutions. These developments illustrate the importance of conducting research that will provide insights into specific influencing factors that may be associated with students' choices of careers in ICT. Such a study is particularly essential for Liberia, which is experiencing a boost in ICT-related investments. This study considers 182 Liberian students' career choices for ICT as a multi-criteria decision-making problem. The Analytical Hierarchy Process is employed to empirically study the relative significance of factors that affect students' choice of ICT. Three main themes and twelve sub-themes influencing students' career choices were identified. Pairwise comparisons revealed that even though family factors play crucial roles in influencing students’ career choices, overall analysis shows that students attach great importance to extrinsic factors such as financial remuneration when making ICT career choices. Students were also reported as giving high priorities to job security and access to jobs while giving lesser importance to the prestige attached to ICT careers. The findings are highly significant to the career choice literature because they provide practical implications that may be used by organizations and entities offering IT employment and colleges enrolling IT students.