Which Way to Tech Careers, Millennials?

by Elizabeth Acebu

A recent survey by NSHSS revealed the highly desired careers of the future for today’s high achieving millennials (a survey of 18,000 15-29 year old students).  It’s an interesting and widely ranging list that covers Amazon to Build-a-Bear Workshop and even the CIA!

As we peer into the crystal ball of this survey, we can also see that 49 percent of today’s high-achieving millennials aspire to work in technology/engineering/science. 80 percent plan to go to grad school.  

They hope to work at some of the most well-known names in tech innovation (5 out of top 25 companies, Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Intel), along with healthcare (6 out of top 25 companies) and national security agencies, where they can make a difference in the world (3 out of top 25 employers; CIA, FBI, NSA).  

However, farther down on the list are a lot of companies that are household names, but where millennials clearly just don’t see themselves.  These include Whirlpool, Georgia Pacific, J.M. Smucker and Palmolive (all in the bottom 15 companies).  These might not be tech companies, but many of them are continually developing new products that involve engineering and science.  Even J.M. Smucker, which doesn’t get more home-cooked and seemingly non-technical, is a 115 year-old huge family of brands that has implemented technology to manage its business, like using advanced data sensing to predict demand or ensuring security of online data and transactions. It even has its own Smuckers app.

Increasingly, every company is a tech company, often with needs to develop or manage innovative technology solutions to today’s problems and opportunities, and that’s why training tomorrow’s leaders to manage technology ventures is so important.

Companies must also update their cultures to appeal to this generation.  Millennials have shown time and again that they care greatly about corporate responsibility and making a difference as well as things like flexible schedules and company perks.  Companies like Google and Facebook are famous for their great cultures and innovative environments.  Millennials are a force to be reckoned with -- they make up a third of the workforce today; by 2020 they’ll comprise half.   

So, to summarize: The next wave of millennials aspiring to technology careers may be surprised to find great opportunities in more traditional companies open to embracing change. And, if they step up and do their part, young tech enthusiasts can be part of the change they want to see in the places they work.

--The Master of Technology Management (MTM) program at UC Santa Barbara is designed to catapult engineers and scientists into leadership positions — within both startups and established companies. This 9-month, intensive program is designed to teach the frameworks, skills, and techniques you need to be a successful technology manager. No fluff, no filler.  The MTM degree will get you further, faster.