Understanding Boundaryless IT Professionals: An Investigation of Personal Characteristics, Career Mobility, and Career Success

Abstract

Shifts in the evaluation of career success and an increase in boundary-spanning activities in the IT profession pave the way for new career models in IT. Instead of opting for a technical or managerial career in IT, more and more IT professionals follow boundaryless career forms, i.e. IT careers that do not correspond to a horizontal career path but allow career transitions between organizations and sectors. To better understand this trend, we examine three boundaryless IT professional groups-late-entry IT professionals, boomerang IT professionals, and IT leavers. Investigating German socio-economic panel data, we examine their personal characteristics, career mobility patterns, and career success factors. We find a high proportion of IT professionals following boundaryless careers, demonstrating that IT is becoming increasingly open to transition from and to other sectors. We also discuss the high proportion of women in boundaryless IT careers, thus illustrating alternative career paths for women in IT. Finally, we show that boundaryless IT professionals tend to have a higher workload in IT jobs than in non-IT jobs, yet, simultaneously, earn more and exhibit higher life satisfaction. Our study contributes to a better understanding of boundaryless IT careers.