Scenario and perspectives of the area of ​​Information Technology in Higher Education in the post-Covid-19 pandemic Ana Carolina Caetano Senger, Luiz Antonio Ferraro Mathias, Alexandre Sobrino Ganança, Cláudio Ferreira de Carvalho, Helio Augusto de Lima Rangel, Luis Fernando Bueno Mauá, Maurício Neves Asenjo

Abstract

This paper is about the profile of current students taking courses in the area of ​​Information Technology, aiming to understand the characteristics of the student body and also the job prospects for the sector. The emergence of the Covid-19 health crisis and the subsequent implementation of social isolation considerably accelerated digital transformation processes, placing technology and artificial intelligence (AI) at the heart of conversations about work and education. With each passing day, new technologies emerge and have a profound impact on our perception of the world, including in the context of study and work. The opportunities in the areas of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are vast and varied, ranging from software development to information security, artificial intelligence, data analysis, cloud computing and much more. The study was developed through descriptive research, carried out based on data released by the Semesp Institute, in the Map of Higher Education in Brazil (2023). Student analysis was based on gender; ethnicity; age group; origin; shift; family income, work and financial situation; choice of course and higher education institution. The results of the investigation made it possible to observe that there is a lack of diversity in the Information Technology sector: the predominance of enrollments in courses in the area are men; the representation of black students is very low; and the courses also attract more young students, up to twenty-nine years old.