Bond-Trittipo, B., & Secules, S., & Kumar, N., & Solis, T. (2022, August), Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41704

\bibitem{asee_peer_41704}
  Bond-Trittipo, B., \& Secules, S., \& Kumar, N., \& Solis, T. (2022, August), \emph{Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange}
  Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN.
  10.18260/1-2--41704

Bailey Bond-Trittipo, Stephen Secules, Nivedita Kumar, and Tiana Solis.  "Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange".  2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August.  ASEE Conferences, 2022.  https://peer.asee.org/41704 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_41704}
  Bailey Bond-Trittipo, Stephen Secules, Nivedita Kumar, and Tiana Solis.
  "Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange".
  \emph{2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Minneapolis, MN, 2022, August}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2022.
  https://peer.asee.org/41704 Internet.  15 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_41704
author = "Bailey Bond-Trittipo, Stephen Secules, Nivedita Kumar, and Tiana Solis"
title = "Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange"
booktitle = "2022 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2022"
month = "August"
address = "Minneapolis, MN"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/41704}
number = {10.18260/1-2--41704}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Background: 
Prior scholarship on broadening participation in undergraduate computing education has made important contributions to supporting underrepresented students’ identity development and persistence. However, the specific experiences of low-income students are underexplored, and the critical juncture between undergraduate education and career or graduate school pathways are as well. For scholarship support programs to make a further impact on broadening participation in computing, it is critical to know low-income students’ viewpoints of the barriers, risks, and opportunities associated with different career pathways that influence their post-graduation plans.
Purpose: 
Our research seeks to better understand the future career pathway perceptions of low-income undergraduate computing students. We explore students’ perceptions of three specific pathways: pursuing a graduate degree, working for a large company, and becoming an entrepreneur. 
Theoretical Framework: 
This study utilizes Bourdieu’s conception of economic capital, cultural capital, and social capital to understand low-income students’ perceptions of their future career pathways. 
Methodology: 
This study is a part of a National Science Foundation-funded program that provides need-based scholarships, internship connections, research opportunities, and entrepreneurial education to low-income students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, cybersecurity, or computer engineering. The program includes three large, public universities in the Southeast United States and was launched in September 2021. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 participants from one of the participating universities to gather information about their perceptions of professional, graduate school, and entrepreneurial career pathways. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic coding. 
Findings:
We found that the majority of our low-income participants plan to work for a large technology-focused company immediately after graduation. However, some participants indicated that the program’s scholarship, which covers up to two years of graduate education in a computing field, gives them the ability to consider pursuing a master’s degree between completing their bachelor’s degree and entering the workforce. Additionally, though many participants expressed that the idea of becoming an entrepreneur is appealing, the financial risks associated with entrepreneurship deter them from considering this career pathway for themselves. Ultimately, our findings suggest that financial stability is a crucial consideration for low-income computing students as they contemplate their future goals. 
Implications:
The participants’ responses demonstrate the importance of need-based financial aid and internship connections for low-income computing students. Furthermore, our findings indicate that intervention programs that aim to support low-income students’ career development should be more sensitive to the unique perspectives and financial concerns of low-income students when they promote graduate school and entrepreneurial pathways.
AU  - Bailey Bond-Trittipo
AU  - Stephen Secules
AU  - Nivedita Kumar
AU  - Tiana Solis
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Future Career Pathway Perceptions of Lower-Income Computing Students Through the Lens of Capital Exchange
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41704
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41704
ER  -