Scientists' ideas about what professions are the most suitable for their children and grandchildren

The article presents results of the survey of science and education employees. The main questions of the study were about what field of work the experts would advise their children and grandchildren to choose, and which of these fields would be most relevant (promising) for the younger generation in 5, 10, 15 and 20 years, and, in case of choosing science or engineering, which of the new specialties they would advise them and which research area would be relevant also in 5, 10, 15 and 20 years. The results of the survey showed that respondents prefer that their children and grandchildren would choose to work in the fields of science, healthcare, education, culture and art, although quite a large part of the answers indicate that they would also prefer their children to choose engineering. At the same time, financial activity took one of the last places, ahead only of trade and agriculture. The experts' answers were examined in different aspects - gender, territorial, etc. The chosen priorities reflect the respondents' hopes for triumph of justice and establishment of public understanding of the role of science, as they substantiate their answers by claiming that doing scientific research means the opportunity to benefit their country, as well as chosing culture, art, education, and armed forces as the fields of the future activity. The article points to a fairly high level of discrepancy between the preferences of those working in science, education and culture, on the one hand, and the opinions of the population as a whole, on the other.