Early career software developers and work preferences in software engineering

Abstract

AbstractContext: The software engineering researchers and practitioners echoed the need for investigations to better understand the engineers developing software and services. In light of current studies, there are significant associations between the personalities of software engineers and their work preferences. However, limited studies are using psychometric measurements in software engineering.Objective: We aim to evaluate attitudes of early‐stage software engineers and investigate link between their personalities and work preferences.Method: We collected extensive psychometric data from 303 graduate‐level students in Computer Science programs at four Pakistani and one Swedish university using Five‐Factor Model. The statistical analysis investigated associations between various personality traits and work preferences.Results: The data support the existence of two clusters of software engineers, one of which is more highly rated across the board. Numerous correlations exist between personality qualities and the preferred types of employment for software developers. For instance, those who exhibit greater levels of emotional stability, agreeableness, extroversion, and conscientiousness like working on technical activities on a set timetable. Similar relationships between personalities and occupational choices are also evident in the earlier studies. More neuroticism is reported in female respondents than in male respondents. Higher intelligence was demonstrated by those who worked on the “entire development process” and “technical components of the project.”Conclusion: When assigning project tasks to software engineers, managers might use the statistically significant relationships that emerged from the analysis of personality attributes. It would be beneficial to construct effective teams by taking personality factors like extraversion and agreeableness into consideration. The study techniques and analytical tools we use may identify subtle relationships and reflect distinctions across various groups and populations, making them valuable resources for both future academic research and industrial practice.