A qualitative investigation of career orientations of a sample of Iranian software engineers

This study investigates different types of career orientation of a sample of Iranian software engineers and antecedents of these orientations. A qualitative study was conducted in seven Iranian small to large sized companies, where forty-nine software engineers were interviewed. Using the thematic analysis technique, technical, managerial, entrepreneurial, project based, and hybrid orientations were identified. For some orientations, several sub-orientations were also identified. In addition, the results propose some antecedents of career orientation, mainly based on engineer needs, competencies and values, which may be moderated by some external factors, including organizational and national level phenomena.