Vocational and educational path of a modern high school student (results of focus group interviews in Moscow and Moscow suburbs)

The aim of our research is to identify professional and educational trajectories of modern schoolchildren, the role of subjects and factors influencing the choice of profession and university. The empirical basis is the data of sociological study in the format of focus groups, implemented by the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics on the theme “Youth: Contemporary Challenges and New Opportunities” in 2022. We develop ideas about the necessity of conscious choice of profession and higher education institution by schoolchildren, changes in the content and quality of vocational guidance work in educational institutions. The research results have shown that higher education as a stage of higher professional education is a priority for all target groups: high school students, their parents and teachers. At the same time, the availability of higher education in the perception of target audiences does not guarantee successful employment and life success. Thus, target audiences do not have a unified image of future school leaver. We note the distancing of career guidance agents - subject teachers and class teachers - from senior pupils, although both pupils and their parents showed a request for information from schools. We have revealed that a certain share of vocational guidance activities is formal, without taking into account individual needs of a child, especially ineffective vocational guidance tests. Parents in this system often act situationally. We have established that the main factors that schoolchildren and their parents are guided by when choosing a university are the atmosphere that promotes realization ofpersonal, professional, creative potential of a child, their interests, and teaching staff that provides this atmosphere. The proposed methodological approach and tools allow planning future research on the problem of formation of a high school student as a subject of professional-educational trajectory, who is able to consciously choose a professional-educational trajectory. So far, the choice of a favorite profession is replaced by a spontaneous process of choosing the Unified National Exam (USE), university and direction of training depending on the passing score, financial and communication capabilities of parents.