What influences the choice of profession
What factors determine a person’s choice of a particular profession? In practice, it turns out that inclinations are taken into account last, but the opinion of parents has a huge influence.
8 FACTORS FOR CHOOSING A PROFESSION ACCORDING TO E.A. KLIMOV:
- Position of older family members There are elders who are directly responsible for how your life turns out. This concern also extends to the question of your future profession.
- Position of comrades, girlfriends Friendships at your age are already very strong and can greatly influence the choice of profession. We can only give general advice: the correct decision will be one that suits your interests and coincides with the interests of the society in which you live.
- Position of teachers, school educators Observing the behavior, academic and extracurricular activities of students, an experienced teacher knows a lot about you that is hidden from unprofessional eyes and even from you.
- Personal professional plans In this case, a plan refers to your ideas about the stages of mastering a profession.
- Abilities The uniqueness of one’s abilities must be judged not only by academic success, but also by achievements in a wide variety of activities.
- Level of aspirations for public recognition When planning your career path, it is very important to take care of the realism of your aspirations.
- Awareness It is important to ensure that the information you acquire about a particular profession does not turn out to be distorted, incomplete, or one-sided.
- Tendencies Tendencies are manifested in favorite activities, on which most of the free time is spent. These are interests supported by certain abilities.
Make a list of requirements for the chosen profession
Make a list of your requirements:
- chosen profession and future occupation;
- chosen profession and life values;
- chosen profession and life goals;
- chosen profession and my current hot issues;
- chosen profession and actual employment in the specialty;
- desired level of professional training;
- chosen profession and my inclinations and abilities;
- Desirable content, nature and working conditions.
Identify basic practical steps to success
So, you have made a decision, now it is important to determine:
- in which educational institution you can receive vocational education,
- how to develop professionally important qualities in yourself,
- how can you gain practical experience in this specialty,
- how to increase your competitiveness in the labor market.
All professions can be classified into one type or another depending on the subject of labor (what the worker deals with), means of labor (whether he uses machines or hand tools), etc. Taking into account the proposed typology, each profession can be assigned a certain code or profile - that is, to what type and by what criteria it belongs. And then create for yourself an “ideal formula of the profession”, the preferred subject of labor, means. And thus understand which profession suits you and which does not.
Why do we need “Career guidance for students and graduates of universities and secondary educational institutions”?
- To identify competencies, abilities, interests, personal qualities and attitudes, as well as motivate students to predict further professional and career development;
- For self-knowledge, self-determination, development of abilities and skills;
- To choose a successful professional path and the most suitable type of company;
- To plan and build your career;
- To resolve issues of changing the profile of training and activity, obtaining additional education and advanced training in the chosen field of education;
- To assist in employment and professional advancement of students and graduates of universities and secondary educational institutions;
- To promote the personal and professional growth of young professionals and implement effective interaction between them and their employing companies;
- To assess the professionally important qualities of students and graduates of universities and secondary educational institutions and orient them to those business positions (positions) and industries where they will be most in demand, successful, and will be able to make the most effective use of the knowledge gained and reveal their potential.
Basic classification of professions
Any profession for each of the grounds (strings) can be classified into one of the types or several. The lines indicate the basis for classification - and the corresponding types of professions.
Subject of labor | Nature | Technique | Human | Sign | Artistic image |
Working conditions | Household | On open air | Unusual | With increased moral responsibility | |
Means of labor | Manual | Cars | Automated | Functional | |
Labor goals | Gnostic | Transformative | Exploratory |
1. Depending on the subject of work, all professions are divided into five types.
In reality, this is a very rough division. It makes sense not just to classify a profession into one of the five types (this method is only suitable for some professions that clearly correspond to one of the five subjects of labor. For each profession, psychologists determine which subject of labor is closer, what they mainly have to deal with - such subjects that characterize There may be three professions. Such a differentiated assessment allows us to distinguish professions within one group: by which of the subjects of labor is called secondary for a given profession.
"MAN IS NATURE"
Professions: seed breeder, master livestock breeder, livestock specialist, agronomist, dog handler, laboratory assistant for chemical and bacteriological analysis, etc.
Among the professions of the “man-nature” type, one can distinguish professions whose subject of work is:
- plant organisms,
- animal organisms,
- microorganisms.
These are professions related to agriculture, food industry, medicine and scientific research (biology, geography). Oddly enough, a psychologist, tourism and hotel business manager should have a certain interest in nature (although, of course, not the main one).
This division does not mean, of course, that human labor is directed only at the objects mentioned above. Plant growers, for example, work in teams, use a variety of equipment, and deal with issues of economic evaluation of their work. But still, the main subject of attention and concern of plant growers is plants and their environment.
On the other hand, when choosing a profession of this type, it is very important to understand exactly how you relate to nature: as a place for relaxation or as a workshop in which you are going to devote all your energy to production.
And one more point that must be taken into account when choosing a profession. The peculiarity of biological objects of labor is that they are complex, changeable (according to their internal laws), and non-standard. Plants, animals, and microorganisms live, grow, develop, and also get sick and die. An employee needs not only to know a lot about living organisms, but to anticipate possible changes in them, which are sometimes irreversible. A person is required to have initiative and independence in solving specific work problems, caring, and foresight.
"MAN - TECHNOLOGY"
Here the main, leading subject of labor is technical objects (machines, mechanisms), materials, types of energy.
Professions: tunneler, carpenter, metallurgical technician, mechanical engineer, architect, electrical installer, radio mechanic, builder, computer assembler, telecommunications specialist, etc.
Of course, the work of workers here is aimed not only at technology, but still the leading subject of professional attention is the area of technical objects and their properties.
Among the professions of the “human-technical” type we can distinguish:
- professions in the extraction and processing of soils and rocks;
- professions in the processing and use of non-metallic industrial materials, products, semi-finished products.
- professions in the production and processing of metal, mechanical assembly, installation of machines and instruments;
- professions in repair, adjustment, maintenance of technological machines, installations, vehicles;
- professions in installation and repair of buildings, structures, structures;
- professions in the assembly and installation of electrical equipment, instruments, apparatus;
- professions in repair, adjustment, maintenance of electrical equipment, instruments, apparatus;
- professions related to the use of lifting vehicles and their management;
- professions in processing agricultural products.
When processing, transforming, moving or assessing technical objects, the worker is required to have precision and certainty of actions. Since technical objects are almost always created by man himself, in the world of technology there are especially wide opportunities for innovation, invention, and technical creativity. Along with a creative approach to business in the field of technology, a person is required to have high performance discipline.
"MAN IS MAN"
Here the main, leading subject of labor is people.
Professions: doctor, teacher, psychologist, hairdresser, tour guide, manager, artistic group leader, etc.
Among this type of professions we can distinguish:
- professions related to training and education of people, organizing children's groups;
- professions related to production management, management of people, teams;
- professions related to household and commercial services;
- professions related to information services;
- professions related to information and artistic services to people and management of artistic groups;
- professions related to medical care.
To successfully work in professions of this type, you need to learn to establish and maintain contacts with people, understand people, understand their characteristics, and also acquire knowledge in the relevant field of production, science, and art.
A short list of qualities that are very important in work:
- a stable good mood while working with people,
- need for communication
- the ability to understand the intentions, thoughts, moods of people,
- ability to quickly understand relationships between people,
- the ability to find a common language with different people.
"MAN - SIGN SYSTEMS"
Here the main, leading subject of work is conventional signs, numbers, codes, natural or artificial languages.
Professions: translator, draftsman, engineer, topographer, secretary-typist, programmer, etc.
Professions of the "human - sign systems" type include:
- professions related to document preparation, office work, text analysis or their transformation, recoding,
- professions in which the subject of labor is numbers, quantitative relationships,
- professions associated with processing information in the form of a system of conventional signs, schematic images of objects.
To successfully work in a profession, you need special abilities to mentally immerse yourself in the world of seemingly dry designations, to be distracted from the actual objective properties of the surrounding world and focus on the information that certain signs carry. When processing information in the form of conventional signs, the tasks of control, verification, accounting, processing of information, as well as the creation of new signs and sign systems arise.
“MAN IS AN ARTISTIC IMAGE”
Here the main, leading subject of work is the artistic image, the methods of its construction.
Professions: artist, painter, musician, designer, stone carver, literary worker.
Person-artist professions include:
- professions related to visual arts,
- professions related to musical activity,
- professions related to literary and artistic activities,
- professions related to acting and stage activities.
One of the features of professions of the “person-artistic image” type is that a significant proportion of labor costs remains hidden from an outside observer. Moreover, special efforts are often made to create the effect of lightness and ease of the final result of the work.
2. According to working conditions, four groups of professions are distinguished
- Work in a normal (domestic) microclimate (accountant, engineer, programmer, assistant secretary).
- Work involving exposure to the open air with sudden changes in temperature and humidity (builder, fireman, field farmer, agronomist).
- Work in unusual conditions: underground, under water, at altitude, in the air, in hot workshops, in workshops with inevitable production hazards (pilot, miner, diver, operator).
- Work with increased moral responsibility for the health and lives of people, for great social and material values (teacher, doctor, safety engineer, auditor).
3. Depending on the means of labor, professions are divided into 4 departments
- Professions involving the use of manual labor (carpenter, radio equipment installer, jeweler, musician, surgeon).
- Professions related to the use of manually operated machines (turner, driver, machinist, telecom operator).
- Professions associated with the use of semi-automatic machines, automatic machines, automatic lines, robotic systems (steelmaker, printer, operator, power system dispatcher).
- Professions associated with the use of functional means and tools (teacher, actor, conductor, director, athlete).
4. Depending on the purpose of work, three classes of professions can be distinguished
- Gnostic: recognize, distinguish, evaluate, check (sanitary doctor, literary critic, inspector, merchandiser, expert, investigator).
- Transformative: process, move, organize, transform (driver, painter, teacher, parquet floor worker, mechanic, tailor,).
- Research: invent, come up with, find a new option, design (cutter, marker, breeder, graphic designer)
Example of a profession formula: Lawyer
Subject of work: PERSON (a lawyer primarily serves people, communicates with them, helps solve their problems, analyzes them), .... Sign systems (a lawyer reads and analyzes documents, reference books, collections of laws, statistical information).
Working conditions: WITH INCREASED MORAL RESPONSIBILITY (for the life and honor of a person), .... everyday (sometimes - if this is a lawyer-investigator, a policeman - then in the open air).
Tools of labor: FUNCTIONAL (own brains, language, gestures, facial expressions),….sometimes automated (computer).
Goals of work: GNOSTIC (determine and identify the cause, determine what class of situations the client’s case belongs to - sort, classify), ..... Research (find a way to protect the defendant, a way to present information, evidence).
Of course, your ideal formula can be compiled by psychologists using tests - you are asked questions, and as a result, your preferences for certain means of labor, an object - in your future professional activity - are revealed.
Occupation formulas are compiled by labor psychologists based on professiograms (descriptions of professions - tasks that arise in work activity, requirements for professional suitability). There are even computer systems for comparing your ideal profession formula and the formulas of typical professionals. Similar services will be provided to you at career guidance and psychological support centers and computer psychological testing centers. But it’s always better to be able to analyze a profession yourself, putting it into detail: then your choice of profession will be truly conscious - you will understand WHY you like this or that profession (for example, the profession of a stuntman - for unusual conditions, and a theoretical physicist - for exploration purposes).
Summary
So, how to choose the right future profession and what tests will help with this? Let's go through the main points that are worth paying attention to.
You need to start searching for a professional path by understanding yourself. Who are you? What are your strengths and weaknesses, goals in life? There are many useful tests on the Internet that can help answer these questions. Take, for example, the Myers-Briggs personality type test.
It may also be helpful to do the following:
- Take a piece of paper and divide it into 3 columns: “to be”, “to do”, “to have”.
- In the third column, write what you would ideally like to do and what your goals are (recognition, high income, expanding connections). In the second column, list the skills you have.
- Now re-read the second column and decide which profession matches your skills. Write options in the “to be” column, even those that seem completely implausible to you.
- Now sensibly assess your capabilities and cross out what doesn’t suit you at all. The remaining options are the professions most suitable for you.
Your task is to understand what exactly is stopping you from making a decision. There is no need to be led by opinion or fashion; evaluate your motivation, desires and preferences. And if the reason for doubt is the lack of necessary information, then this issue can be resolved simply: read the relevant literature, watch videos on the Internet about the profession you are interested in, talk to an already established professional in this field, find a way to practice in order to “live” evaluate all the pros and "against".
An interesting selection of books that will help you decide on a profession and answer the question of whether you are doing your life’s work is offered by the MYTH publishing house. You can view it here.
It is ideal if you consider not just one area, but several at once, because this way you will better understand what really suits you. Try to start learning the basics of the profession on your own. And if you doubt that you can handle studying a large amount of information and mastering a variety of topics, we recommend that you take a look at our online program “Best Self-Education Techniques”, where you will learn to use various techniques and models of self-education and see that learning can be fun and effective at the same time .
If you are not sure whether you have chosen the right profession, seek help from a career consultant and undergo vocational guidance.
And here are the promised useful links that will help you make the right choice:
- Online career guidance from the site hh.ru.
- Holland's questionnaire to determine professional personality type.
- Klimov's differential diagnostic questionnaire.
- Choosing a profession based on the object of labor and action with it. ProfGuide Methodology.
- Career Guidance Test from WhyEducation.
- Career guidance test “Map of Interests”.
Choosing a profession is an important step, because your future depends on it. Of course, it cannot be guaranteed that you will be able to decide on the direction once and for all and this matter will become the work of your whole life, because the realities of the modern world oblige you to adapt to changes and find the best options for yourself, which also applies to your profession.
But if you make your choice consciously, you can ensure yourself the happiness of doing something you love that brings a decent income, at least for the next few years.
We wish you success and invite you to take a short survey:
We also recommend reading:
- Storytelling
- Professions of the future: how to prepare for changes
- Who should I go to study?
- Reasons to create your own website
- Methods of career guidance
- Career guidance: conscious choice of future profession
- Profession programmer: coder or creator?
- Profession of a lawyer: a calling to be honest
- Holland's theory of six personality types
- Russian language: tutor or online classes?
- Choosing a profession using the MPS method
Key words: 1LLL, 1Self-knowledge
Treating your choice of profession as unchangeable
In any field of activity, there is a change in occupations and positions as a person’s qualifications increase. At the same time, the greatest success is achieved by those who have passed the initial stages well.
Analyze the situation on the labor market. Please note that every year new professions appear. Be prepared for the fact that you will have to regularly improve your skills and master related specialties. Do not be afraid that the choice of profession now, in the 11th grade, will fatally determine your entire destiny. Changing your choice and mastering a new specialty will make you a valuable specialist in demand in interdisciplinary fields of activity. Your first profession, even if you later change your mind and find something more attractive, will come in handy in unexpected situations. For example, the first education of an art critic will help a lawyer with his second education to understand the complex issues of inheritance of antique values...
What issues does career guidance help solve?
Each age stage corresponds to certain tasks in the field of self-determination, which can be solved by career guidance testing and subsequent joint consultation of a psychologist with the child and his parents.
For students in grades 5-7 (test complex “Profnavigator”):
Listening to the advice of your parents and friends, take responsibility for choosing a profession.
Don’t try to make choices for your teenager, but don’t refuse to support him when he asks.
- identify types of activities that may interest the child and become the basis for a future profession;
- learn about the characteristics of the child’s character and thinking that are not obvious to parents;
- identify the cause of learning difficulties at school, if any;
- find ways to eliminate existing difficulties;
- choose clubs and sections for the additional development of the child;
- find resources (strength, time, motivation) for further systematic development.
For schoolchildren in grades 8-9 (test complexes “Proforinetator”, “Profmaster”):
- select subjects to take the OGE;
- decide on the class profile for further education or choose a specific school with in-depth study of a number of subjects for admission;
- identify professional areas in which you will be able to achieve greater success in the future;
- decide whether to go to college or stay in school and plan to enroll in a university;
- choose educational institutions where you can receive secondary vocational education or a working profession.
For schoolchildren in grades 10-11 (test complex “Career Guidance”):
Don’t strive to get a high-paying position right away, strive to achieve mastery
Not only fashionable, highly paid professions can bring happiness and income in the future
- decide on the choice of a future specialty - take the first serious step into adulthood;
- select the necessary subjects for intensive preparation for the Unified State Exam, outline a preparation plan, possibly through classes in additional education organizations;
- outline a list of colleges or universities (faculties) where documents should be submitted for admission;
- develop in advance a vocational training path for a specific, most suitable profession (for example, pass an international exam in a foreign language or master a second foreign language, receive basic artistic training to participate in creative tests, etc.).
Current opinions about the prestige of the profession
In relation to the profession, prejudice is manifested in the fact that some professions and occupations important to society are considered unworthy and indecent (for example: garbage collector).
An economist or a psychologist is no more useful to society than a chemist or mechanic. The prestige of the profession must be taken into account - but after taking into account your interests and abilities. Otherwise, you will have (if you have) a “fashionable” but not enjoyable specialty. Or, what the hell, you will find yourself unfit to perform basic job functions...
Choosing a profession under the influence of comrades (for company, so as not to fall behind)
We choose a profession according to our “taste” and “size” in the same way as clothes and shoes.
The feeling of a group and orientation towards peers are very positive characteristics of children your age. They are needed to master the norms of behavior in society, form the image of “I” and self-esteem. Therefore, look back at others, COMPARING (yourself with friends), and not blindly repeating. Try to see how you differ from your comrades - and how you are similar. This will help you understand that if Vasya becomes a firefighter (and he is a risky person), you may not like this profession (you are very careful and reasonable).
Transfer of attitude towards a person, a representative of a particular profession, to the profession itself
When choosing a profession, you must first take into account the characteristics of this type of activity, and not choose a profession just because you like or don’t like the person who is engaged in this type of activity.
Being fascinated by a teacher is especially dangerous (if you admire the sincerity of a physicist, this does not mean that you like physics in itself, outside the “set”). In addition, children often make the mistake of trying to get the profession of an idol - an athlete, politician, journalist, artist. Athletes - they're not all like that.
Identification of a school subject with a profession or poor differentiation of these concepts
There is such a subject as a foreign language, and there are many professions that require language ability - translator, tour guide, international telephone operator, etc. Therefore, when choosing a profession, you need to take into account what real occupations and professions are behind this subject.
To do this, it is best not to just study profession charts or dictionaries of professions. It is worth analyzing newspapers with vacancies on the labor exchange (they usually indicate what education is required for a specific vacancy). For example, a person with a linguistic education (“Russian language and literature”, “foreign language” at school) can work as a teacher, a translator, an editor, and a research assistant. Moreover, keep in mind that there are more professions than school subjects. You can become a lawyer, marketer, or apparatchik. Professions can usually be associated with several school subjects (usually corresponding to entrance exams to a university when entering this specialty). For example, a future economist may like both mathematics and geography at school.
What influences a student’s choice
Advice from experienced people is good. However, not when they run counter to the desires and abilities of the teenagers themselves. Thus, parents usually advise enrolling in one or another university for the following reasons:
- The education it provides is prestigious.
- Your future profession will allow you to earn good money and be proud of your position.
- You will be able to work in clean, comfortable conditions.
- The parents themselves work in this field and know it well.
- A small competition at a university will guarantee admission even if your grades are not the highest.
Note that no one even mentions the student’s abilities, desires and the demand for the profession!
The fourth item on the list (“parents themselves work in this field and know it well”) often becomes the reason for the formation of entire family dynasties of doctors, lawyers, etc. According to statistics, 44% of the sons of doctors and 28% of the offspring of lawyers follow in the footsteps of their parents.
The question of self-determination is practically not raised in these families. “Your father is such a respected doctor. Is it possible to go to study at something other than a medical university?!” At the same time, the son of a “respected doctor” may have neither the ability nor the desire to treat people.
It’s even worse if the choice of university is determined by the availability of budget places or a small competition. Here the applicant simply blindly goes where he manages to “shove in.” There is no need to even talk about any professional self-realization in the future with such a choice factor.
Inability/unwillingness to understand one’s personal qualities (inclinations, abilities)
Career consultants, parents, teachers, and comrades will help you understand yourself.
Psychological tests, as well as articles and publications on popular psychology, may also be useful. However, keep in mind that many of them are unprofessional, so be critical of both the test results and what is written in psychological books. The purpose of popular tests is to intensify the activity of self-knowledge (self-observation, introspection), and not to give you a ready-made answer to the question of who to be or sticking a label on what kind of person you are.
Tests to help
Today, many methods and tests have been developed to help you choose a profession.
Socionics test
Socionics is the concept of personality types according to the following parameters: extraversion/introversion, logic/intuition, logic/ethics, rationality/irrationality. The combination of these characteristics gives 16 psychotypes, each of which is recommended for a number of professions. For example, I got a picture like this. Quite an accurate portrait.
Officially, not everyone recognizes socionics as a science, but testing gives interesting results.
Holland Questionnaire
Dividing people into types (realistic, intellectual, social, artistic, enterprising, conventional) is a bit like the previous test. The Holland Questionnaire allows you to understand personal qualities, evaluate communication skills and get some rough recommendations.
Klimov's technique
We owe to Academician E. A. Klimov the tests that at one time filled all employment centers. After answering 20 questions of the test, the subject receives the type of profession that suits him - these are the same “man - man”, “man - nature”, “man - technology”, “man - sign system” and “man - artistic image”. Recently, the group “person - self-realization” has been added to this classification (we are talking, for example, about athletes).
Using this method, you can determine the approximate area of application of talent, but it is worth considering that since its creation, the list and content of professions have changed.
Career choice matrix
The advantage of this technique is a small number of questions and clarity of the results. Having chosen the 2 desired options, find their intersection in the table and receive professional recommendations. The disadvantage is the limited selection of advice.