On the issue of the development of career guidance in obtaining a profession at a railway university

Currently, career guidance activities are not given enough attention. We believe that these activities should be carried out for students of general education schools, starting from the eighth grade, so that students have the opportunity for self-determination within their future profession. The paper shows the possibility of preparing a modern specialist for professional activity by means of higher mathematics, namely, the introduction of professionally oriented tasks into the learning process. Problems of this type are understood as mathematical problems with practical content, revealing the applications of mathematics in various areas of work, which prepares for a future profession. In addition, the professionally oriented tasks proposed by the authors can be used as an effective tool to increase motivation in the study of the discipline "Mathematics". The presented article describes the need for the use of professionally oriented tasks in the process of studying at a railway university on the example of studying mathematics when studying in the specialty 23.05.03 "Rolling stock of railways", specialization "Locomotives" at the Samara State University of Railway Communications. Since some of the graduates who graduated from a railway university in the specified specialty begin their professional activities as an assistant driver, we will dwell in more detail on the description of the profession of a driver, considering it from the point of view of the need to gain knowledge from a higher mathematics course.