INFLUENCING THE FUTURE: ADOLESCENT GIRLS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CYBERSECURITY CAREERS

Abstract

Adolescents are influenced in multiple ways and through multiple channels. Influencers strongly affect adolescent’s decision-making related to activities, classes, and career choices. Middle school is a key time when girls tend to explore or turn away from cyber fields. Through qualitative survey research with open coding data analysis, this research answers the question “What are the adolescent girls’ influencers as related to exploration of the cybersecurity field?" by presenting the SCCIF Model. The factors of influence discovered are school, community/groups, career perception, individual, and family which transition through positive, negative, or neutral stages, and can move fluidly between them.