One in four wish they had taken the tech career route

Over a quarter of adults (28%) have admitted they wish they had pursued a career in technology, a survey from Hotels.com has found.

Polling 2,000 people (1,000 adults and 1,000 children aged 8-15) across the UK, the online travel company found that 44% would have liked to have worked in the sector for the expected "money". 

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Some 41% said it would have been for the "intellectual challenge" and 30% said it would have been for the belief that technology would provide them with more job opportunities.

In addition, 32% of respondents said they had wished for a career in technology so they had an "opportunity to shape the future", while 16% said to have enabled them to have a "real impact on society."

Stuart Silberg, vice-president of Technology at Hotels.com, said: “The recent Fortune’s 40 under 40 list was dominated by people from the technology industry, and this is all having a great impact on the number of people who are keen to pursue a career in technology – not only for the perks of the job, but also because it’s clear that technology is having a real affect on society.”

The survey found that a possible lack of skills may be holding people back, as 45% of respondents that said they would like to work in the sector said they do not because they "don’t have a degree in IT." 

Some 20% of those questioned believe the sector is "too competitive" and 41% said they are "too old" to change careers. Of the adults surveyed, 13% feel the industry is too male-dominated.

Silberg said it is important for people to understand that, while a technology-related degree is important, it isn’t always essential: “What’s more important is that a tech skillset is combined with great communication skills, problem-solving abilities and a real passion for the industry.

“In technology companies like Hotels.com, we aren’t just looking to recruit people who can code – we want to find people who can push boundaries, innovate and shape the way we live in the future.”

The research also revealed 35% of 8-15-year-olds would like to study IT and/or science at university. According to the survey, IT is now one of the top four favourite subjects at school.