Vocational interests of computer programers

Abstract

THE REVISED SVIB WAS ADMINISTERED TO 1378 COMPUTER PROGRAMERS. PRIMARY ANALYSES WERE LIMITED TO 1003 MALES WITH AT LEAST 2 YR. OF PROGRAMING EXPERIENCE, WHOSE JOBS WERE PRIMARILY NONSUPERVISORY, AND WHO INDICATED SATISFACTION WITH PROGRAMING. PROGRAMERS DIFFER FROM OTHER PROFESSIONAL MEN PRIMARILY IN THEIR GREATER INTEREST IN PROBLEM SOLVING, MATHEMATICS, AND MECHANICAL PURSUITS, AND THEIR LESSER INTEREST IN PEOPLE. THEIR INTERESTS ARE MOST SIMILAR TO OPTOMETRISTS, CHEMISTS, ENGINEERS, PRODUCTION MANAGERS, MATHEMATICS-SCIENCE TEACHERS, AND SENIOR CPAS; BUT NONE OF THESE EXISTING KEYS ADEQUATELY REPRESENTS THE INTERESTS OF PROGRAMERS. A PROGRAMER KEY DEVELOPED ON 1/2 THE SAMPLE AND EVALUATED ON THE REMAINING 1/2 DISCRIMINATES WELL BETWEEN PROGRAMERS AND MEN IN GENERAL. SATISFIED PROGRAMERS SCORE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ON THE KEY THAN DISSATISFIED PROGRAMERS. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)