Abstract:

The significance of parental influence on their children’s career selection cannot be ignored in any context. Among many other factors, parental influence plays a crucial role in shaping the career choices of many young individuals. This influence is decisive for the newly emerged industries.  Thus, parental influences on selecting a career path in recently emerged industries such as Information Technology (IT) and Information Systems (IS) are yet to be explored in contexts where parental influence is comparatively high in many aspects and milestones of children’s lives. Therefore, this study addresses this gap by investigating parental influences on career choices in the IS field among undergraduates in Sri Lanka. We employed a quantitative approach, surveying 247 IS students at a Sri Lankan state university using a self-administered questionnaire that measured six key parental influence attributes. The findings suggest that three attributes: ‘perceived parental career concerns on welfare and prestige’, ‘perceived transmission of parental views and values regarding career’, and ‘perceived parental encouragement to self-direction in career choice’, have a significant impact on students’ career selection in IS sector. The study further assessed the influence of parents’ demographic variables on students’ career choices. These findings provide valuable insights for educators, counselors, and policymakers, emphasizing the need for tailored guidance to enhance students' understanding of IS career opportunities.