Social Factors of Senior School Students’ Professional Self-Determination in Regional Schools

This article presents the main social factors influencing the professional self-determination of regional school graduates, as determined by a sociological study of the initial professional self-determination process among senior students in secondary schools. The sources used include materials from V.N. Shubkin’s Novosibirsk project, research conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which continues to implement the Novosibirsk project, and data from scientific studies examining the professional self-determination of students in regional schools in the first quarter of the 21st century. The data obtained are compared with the results of a nationwide study, revealing both general patterns and specific features related to the state of the regional labor market. It is shown that the professional self-determination of senior students in regional secondary schools is influenced by “reality factors”: age, gender, inclination/ability to study natural sciences or humanities, perceptions of the attractiveness of professions, labor market needs, including the state of the regional labor market, and family social resources (standard of living, parents’ education level).