Features of career trajectories of graduates of Altai universities (using the example of a sociological study in Barnaul)

Akhmedova Angelina Rustamovna Assistant, Department of General Sociology and Conflictology, Altai State University 656049, Russia, Altai Territory, Barnaul, Dimitrova str., 66, room 520 axmedovaangelina@mail.ru Other publications by this author     Chukanova Tat'yana Viktorovna PhD in Sociology Associate Professor, Department of Social and Youth Policy, Altai State University 656011, Russia, Altai Krai, Barnaul, Dimitrova str., 66, office 515 chukanova@socio.asu.ru Other publications by this author     Lyubarskaya Mariya Aleksandrovna Student; Department of Sociology and Conflictology; Altai State University 656011, Russia, Altai Territory, Barnaul, Chervonnaya str., 5 maria20032301@gmail.com Other publications by this author     Prohorov Bogdan Aleksandrovich Student; Department of Sociology and Conflictology; Altai State University 656011, Russia, Altai Territory, Barnaul, Chervonnaya str., 5, room 520 prohorovbogdan0806@mail.ru Other publications by this author     Gomonov Denis Ivanovich Student, Department of Sociology and Conflictology, Altai State University 656011, Russia, Altai Territory, Barnaul, Chervonnaya str., 5, sq. B123m1 nfs398@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Kolegaeva Elizaveta Aleksandrovna Student; Department of Sociology and Conflictology; Altai State University 66 Dimitrova str., Barnaul, Altai Territory, 656011, Russia kolegaeva2020@mail.ru

Currently, due to the current socio-economic situation in the world, issues related to career building and development are becoming relevant for science. It is logical to assume that the most active subject in this matter is a graduate of a higher educational institution. Special attention was paid to the employment of graduates of higher educational institutions in Soviet times, when planned state policy distributed graduates to various state-owned enterprises depending on the education they received. It is important to note that on the periphery of the centuries there has been some shift in the idea of a career. If earlier a career was understood as moving up the career ladder, today a career is planned as mastering a variety of practices that complement and develop a person (self-development, a high level of extracurricular, additional activities). 20-30 years ago, one mastered specialty could be enough until the end of professional activity, and now, without annual retraining courses, career advancement is simply impossible. Thus, a logical question arises: how do graduates imagine their future careers and whether they think about it at all. How aware are graduates of their employment opportunities in principle and does the university contribute to students' awareness of careers and career opportunities.

In order to formulate the concept of a career trajectory, it is necessary to understand the generic concept of this phenomenon. By career we mean a balanced ratio, the interaction of the processes of internal human development and its external movement in the development of social space. E.F. Zeer, from the point of view of psychology, argues that career is considered from two sides: on the one hand, as a model of social advancement, and, on the other hand, as a process of realizing personal potential a person in his professional activity. In addition, these processes are interconnected. Although the social advancement of a person and the realization of his personal potential do not completely coincide, they often go side by side, conditioning each other. As a result of personal development, a person is able to occupy higher positions and function successfully in them, and his promotion can stimulate both personal and professional self-development ^[1].

I.V. Golovneva, Y.L. Tverdokhvalova consider a career as "purposeful official and professional growth, progressive advancement through the ranks" ^{[2, p. 135]}. A.A. Bodalev and L.A. Rudkevich analyzed those components of a career that can be classified as psychological content of the term. "This is the nature of the goals that a person sets; the system of motives that motivate a person to carry out activities; the degree of actualization in the implementation of relevant activities of the abilities of a specialist, manifested in specific actions and deeds, indicating the achieved level of professionalism" ^{[3, p. 362]}.

D. Super, a well-known foreign scientist, specialist in professional formation and career periodization, and later our compatriot N.S. Pryazhnikov treat career building as a process of professional self-determination. According to the authors, this process is constantly alternating choices and has as its basis the Self-concept of personality as a relatively holistic education, gradually changing as a person grows up ^[4].

Another American scientist, psychologist T.G. Gnedin, notes that career orientations arise in the process of socialization and as a result of the accumulation of professional experience in the early years of career development, and also serve to manage, stabilize and integrate an individual career. Thus, career orientations reflect the values of a career and the way to achieve success in building it ^[5]. Consequently, a person's career orientations are one of the personal factors that have a significant impact on career development. Career orientations reflect both the values of a career and the way to achieve success in building it.

Having considered the main approaches to understanding a career as a generic concept, we will begin to consider the main approaches to studying the concept of a career trajectory.

Career trajectories are one of the personal factors that have a significant impact on career development. Career trajectories reflect both the values of a career and the way to achieve success in its construction. T.N. Kharlanova defines the concept of "career trajectories" as an element of the Self-concept of personality, which includes an idea of one's own abilities, one's professional life (cognitive component), attitude towards it (emotional component), aspiration towards the implementation of career plans (behavioral component) ^[6]. Psychologist J.V. Badulina defines the first approach of career trajectories in the so-called meaningful approach. The author's attention is focused on the technology of determining the optimal set of elective and elective subjects in order to increase student satisfaction with the learning process and results. The next approach highlighted by the author is personality-oriented, which is aimed at developing models for the adaptive formation of an educational trajectory, taking into account the individual characteristics of students. The competence approach, in turn, is aimed at increasing competitiveness by acquiring narrow-profile competencies representing the professional portrait of a high-class specialist ^[7].

Having analyzed the approaches to the study of careers and career trajectories, we can conclude that career trajectories are presented by different authors as different fields of science, which help to delve into our field of study in more detail.

Having considered the main theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding the phenomenon of career trajectories, it is advisable to pay attention to the factors influencing the formation of career trajectories in the student environment. Under the influence of factors shaping career trajectories in a broad sense, we understand the cultural and historical context of human development, the determination of thinking in the native language, culture, mobility, labor movement, migration and other consequences of globalization, as well as social, resource and natural risks. There are a number of factors influencing the career trajectories of students.

Let's pay attention to the economic factors. Due to the fact that our society is in market relations, areas of activity that have high wages are gaining special prestige. Thus, the profession and place of study have become a "means" to achieve material benefits or other pragmatic goals. Education has lost its status as a fundamental value. The prestige of the work has become, on the one hand, a marker of recognition, on the other - a mechanism for preserving social inequality. It is worth noting that the socio-psychological factor also has a direct impact on the formation of students' professional trajectory. The expression of this factor is manifested in the prestige of the student's career trajectory.

The analysis of psychological literature allows us to identify two groups of factors influencing career formation: objective factors (the structure of society, the prestige of the profession and education, the unemployment rate, regional differences, etc.) and subjective factors (the specifics of ideas about the profession, about oneself, one's abilities and capabilities, individual experience, etc.).

E.V. Sadon, exploring a professional career, identifies professional competencies as a factor in career formation. The author considers the career competence of a future specialist as a system of ideas about career, opportunities and career paths, including the ability to predict future careers and overcome career crises, as well as "career self-efficacy" as the ability to career goal-setting, career planning and solving career problems ^[8].

Among a wide range of specialists who provide and support career formation, a special role belongs to andragogues - specialists in the field of education, management, counseling, social, rehabilitation, correctional work among adults. According to S. I. Zmeev, it is an adult who needs to acquire skills, knowledge, skills, certain personal qualities and value orientations necessary for choosing and shaping his career and for successful functioning, both in the labor market and in other spheres of social life.

M. S. Knowles believed that adult education should be based on the experience of existence in the real world. Support for the choice and formation of a career effectively embodies the basic principles of adult education: joint activity, reliance on the student's experience, individualization, contextuality, electivity, awareness of learning, actualization of learning outcomes, development of educational needs ^[9]. It is the problems of this applied direction of andragogy development that are as close as possible to the life needs of an adult who can immediately feel a qualitative improvement after receiving education on various aspects of career formation.

Andragogical educational programs on the problems of career choice and formation are created within the framework of the concept of "education for a career". The concept implies updating the content of educational programs in order to acquire knowledge about the specifics of career formation, to acquire skills for adaptation to the labor market. "Career education is the total amount of experience through which knowledge is accumulated and attitudes towards oneself and work are developed, as well as skills with which an individual chooses, plans and prepares for his professional activity and the emergence of other life opportunities potentially related to his career."

M. V. Alexandrova examines the process of becoming a teacher, defines the essence, patterns and conditions of career growth in the territorial system of continuing education. The principles and technologies of comprehensive developmental support for the process of career formation, says M. V. Alexandrova, ensure an increase in the inner activity of the teacher and the definition of one's own values when designing a professional biography. The career of a teacher is defined by M. V. Alexandrova "as his conscious attitude to his own movement along the stages of professional formation, characterizing the levels of achievements in various types of activities (professional, managerial, social, etc.), and increasing his status in the socio-educational environment" ^[10].

The modern socio-economic situation, providing ample opportunities for the disclosure of an individual's potential, allows for variability in the formation of worldviews, value orientations and attitudes, but at the same time makes it difficult for a person to make optimal decisions regarding the development of their professional activities, career planning and successful adaptation to changing conditions.

Competition in the labor market requires that the concept of the level of professional preparedness of a specialist include, in addition to professional knowledge, skills and abilities, also the ability to introspect, to self-knowledge, to determine one's personal qualities, abilities, inclinations, to mobilize internal resources of a personality, to build an optimal trajectory of life depending on the conditions of life and one's personal parameters.

In the materials of the VI International Symposium "Im-jelogy-2008: Image as an instrument of attractiveness and competitiveness", the essence of a career is defined as the active promotion of a person in mastering and improving a way of life that ensures his stability in the flow of social life. A person's career is a life-long route that can be conditionally divided into stages: obtaining professional education, getting a job, becoming and moving up the corporate ladder, maintaining and consolidating, as well as completing before the retirement period.

Thus, the modern concept of "career", which is increasingly used in scientific literature and in socio-industrial practice, we can define as a general idea of a person's life path, in which he consciously, in accordance with his psychophysiological characteristics, value orientations and social experience, makes the choice, formation and development of his professional He acquires the skills, knowledge, skills, personal qualities and value orientations necessary for the successful performance of this activity, which ensures the most complete self-realization.

Summarizing the studied material, we come to the conclusion that a career can be considered as a process of self-realization of a person in professional activity, accompanied by the accumulation of work experience, systematization and development of his knowledge, skills and personal qualities and leading to a transition to a new social and professional status.

Having studied the information and definitions of the career trajectories of various representatives of the sciences, we have derived our own definition. Career trajectories are a planned graduate behavior strategy related to his future professional activity, including the graduate's personal and professional prospects, as well as methods and methods of searching for career opportunities. Indeed, the modern concept of a career includes and denotes not only the choice of a profession and professional growth, but also events taking place on a person's life path. The expanded concept of "career" allows you to overcome the narrow understanding of it only as a sphere of industrial activity and look at a person's life and career from the point of view of forming a lifestyle and life philosophy.

The modern socio-economic situation, providing ample opportunities for the disclosure of an individual's potential, allows for variability in the formation of a worldview, value orientations and attitudes, but at the same time makes it difficult for a person to make optimal decisions regarding the development of their professional activities, career planning and successful adaptation to changing conditions.

Competition in the labor market requires that the concept of the level of professional preparedness of a specialist include, in addition to professional knowledge, skills and abilities, also the ability to introspect, to self-knowledge, to determine one's personal qualities, abilities, inclinations, to mobilize internal resources of a personality, to build an optimal trajectory of life depending on the conditions of life and one's personal parameters.

R. V. Shurupova convincingly notes that in modern conditions only those people whose professional activity optimally corresponds to their abilities, character, ways of perceiving and processing information will be able to work effectively. Based on this, we conclude that the problem of self-determination, purposeful planning, formation, self-development, self-realization, formation and support of a person's career in Russia and abroad has become very relevant and acute since the middle of the XX century.

Thus, personal factors include: the nature and level of competence, the level of autonomy of the organization of space and tempo-rhythm (coworking, free schedule, etc.), the nature of motivation (development needs, individual or team definition of activity, the level of need for security), behavioral patterns (service, competitiveness), the level of innovation, key types of literacy and basic skills of the 21st century.

Institutional factors include the National Qualifications System of Russia, the Register of Professional Standards, the Federal Service for Labor and Employment, etc. government agencies; commercial and non–profit organizations and sole proprietors - psychological centers, recruitment agencies, employment centers, career guidance centers for testing and training, tutor support, individual coaching services; volunteer projects, open educational platforms, student forums and organizations, internships; international organizations (International Center for Educational and Vocational Guidance, International Youth Forum and etc.).

Social factors include: cultural and historical conditionality of human development, social mobility, labor movement, migration and other consequences of globalization, social, resource and natural risks; transition to a fluid and mobile society built at the expense of network nodes. The connection of the factors of formation of individual career trajectories of different levels is determined, which allows explaining individual requests and needs in a certain focus of the career trajectory with the opportunities provided by specialized social institutions. This analysis also includes modern practices of forming career paths.

Thus, in order to identify the essence and specific features of this phenomenon, we need to consider career trajectories through the prism of three main components of this concept: personal prospects, professional prospects and ways and methods of searching for career opportunities. Having considered each of the indicators separately, we will be able to form a holistic view of the phenomenon under study.

Based on this theory, a methodology has been developed for the sociological study of the career trajectory of modern students. The sample consisted of graduates of various higher educational institutions of the city of Barnaul (n=340 people). The study involved students from Altai State University, Altai State Pedagogical Institute, Altai State Medical University, Altai State Agrarian University and Altai State Polytechnic University. The selection method was a quota sample with elements of spontaneous selection of respondents. We selected two methods for the study: qualitative (in-depth interview) and quantitative (questionnaire). Together, these methods give the researcher the most accurate idea of the subject under study. Thus, the tools for conducting empirical sociological research were developed based on this methodology.

Let's move on to the main results. The question asked to the respondents was aimed at studying the motivation of young people to obtain higher education, which plays a key role in the formation and development of students' career trajectories. It provides not only the knowledge and skills necessary for a particular profession, but also contributes to the development of critical thinking, analytical abilities, communication skills and many other qualities that are an integral part of a successful career.

Table 1. Distribution of answers to the question "Why do you get higher education?" (as a percentage of the number of respondents).

*The sum of the percentages in the table exceeds 100%, because respondents could point to several answer options.

Table one shows that most of the respondents surveyed believe that higher education is fashionable and prestigious (52%), and this indicator is almost identical by gender. This statement was supported by 51% of men and 52% of women. The alternative "I want to get a certain specialty" received an approximate result in popularity among the respondents - 45%. This indicator is the most popular among men and amounted to 49%, in turn, 40% among women. However, during the in-depth interview, almost all the girls said that the main incentive for obtaining higher education was the thirst for obtaining a certain specialty. The most unpopular answer turned out to be: "Higher education is a guarantee of successful employment" (15%). Thus, graduates do not consider higher education to be an elevator to a higher position. Perhaps this is due to the stereotypes that have developed in society that higher education does not guarantee you a good position, high wages and a secure old age. It also seems interesting to know which of the respondents had parents who insisted on entering the university. Among all respondents, it was 31%. Thus, 69% of the respondents made this decision independently. During an in-depth interview, we received the following information: "My mother insisted on my admission, arguing this with her rich life experience. I didn't see any point in it, I just wanted to go to work and that's it..."; "My parents gave me an ultimatum either I go to university, or I won't see my own apartment as my ears..."; "No matter how funny it sounds now, but I wanted to join the army, I didn't go to the military tower Unfortunately, the army seemed to me a great elevator to join the service. But my mother said that my life was too expensive for her and insisted on getting a profession, and then only you can think about the army..."

Another important indicator that measured the confidence of young people in the army showed the following result: 79% of the respondents went to higher education only in order not to serve in the army. This is more than half, and besides, it is moving towards an absolute value. Thus, the motivations of students regarding higher education are quite diverse, but still most of them note its prestige.

Speaking about the prestige of higher education, the question of how graduates imagine their future not as students becomes relevant. In Figure one, we clearly see that most of the graduates have already found a job (83%). The remaining 17% have not yet been employed. Of these, 10% of the respondents have an excellent idea of their future and know what they want to achieve from life.

Fig.1. Distribution of respondents' answers to the question "Do you clearly imagine your future after graduation?" (as a percentage of the number of respondents)

During the in-depth interview, the respondents noted that their profession is not in demand today and it will not work. "I am finishing the psychology course. Now it has become so popular that it is almost impossible to get into this niche, and I personally am not ready to work as a psychologist in a public institution, receiving a low salary. Now I work as a manicurist and it suits me perfectly. It turns out that I received higher education for the soul..."; "I am a sociologist and I do not know where to work by profession at all. However, the communication skills that I have been taught will be useful to me anywhere...". Some respondents indicated a desire to get a second higher education in a different field of study. "I am graduating from the pedagogical direction, but I definitely will not work in my profession. I'm going to get a second higher education in another field...". There were interviewers who, on the contrary, expressed interest in their field of activity: "I'm a costume designer. Throughout my studies, I have been developing in this direction, so after graduation I will start sewing clothes to order. I want to do what I love..."; "I am graduating from the pedagogical direction and have firmly decided to follow the Zemsky Teacher program. A great opportunity for a novice specialist...". Thus, most of the respondents have already decided on their future after graduating from higher education. Also, during the interview, we found out that the university itself played a significant role in this, holding meetings with employers.

To form a clear idea of the respondents' professional prospects, the question was asked: "By what criteria did you choose your specialty?". This question gave the respondent the opportunity to choose several answers.

*The sum of the percentages in the figure exceeds 100%, because the respondents could point to several answer options.

Fig.2. Distribution of answers to the question "By what criteria did you choose your specialty?" (as a percentage of the number of respondents)

According to the data shown in Figure two, we see that most of the respondents (79%) consider their profession interesting for themselves. Of these, the distribution by gender was almost the same. Thus, both male and female graduates of the Institute of Humanities are interested in their profession. As noted by respondents during an in-depth interview, "For four years of study, you want, you don't want, but you will be interested in your activities ...", "when I entered, I did not take my specialty seriously at all, and now I seriously thought about getting a second higher education in the same specialty ...". Some also noted the opposite pattern, that on the contrary they fell out of love with their training profile: "I entered the first year with burning eyes, but my expectations from the profession were simply not justified...", "And I just passed here on points, as I did not love my profession for 4 years, I will not continue to love...".

Another fairly popular answer among respondents was "work in this profile is highly paid." However, more men than women chose this answer option, 61% and 39%, respectively. According to respondents, this is due to stereotypes that a man is the breadwinner in the family and he should bring money into the house, and a woman is the keeper of the hearth and it is not important for her to earn millions. Some girls, in turn, turned out to be categorical in this matter: "I want to work for the soul, not for money ...", "I have plans to live my life in prosperity, so the main criterion for choosing a profession for me personally was high pay for my work ...". More than half of the respondents (59%) also noted the prestige of their profession as the main criterion for its choice. Among them, men appreciated the prestige of the profession more (58%). Only 42% of women chose the prestige of the profession as a criterion for choosing their specialization.

The most unpopular answer among the respondents was the option "working in this specialty, I will be able to benefit people." Only 15% of respondents considered this option as a criterion for choosing a further profession. This may be due to the fact that young people are more interested in their well-being and communication in the human-human system for them no longer has such importance ("I'm not ready to do charity, my shirt is closer to my body", "and what's the point of doing good, work should bring money ...").

A third of the respondents (32%) believe that they will be able to make a career only in their specialty. Of these, the majority of men are more confident than women (76% and 24%, respectively). The respondents argue their position as follows: "career is a distant concept for me personally, I believe that the pursuit of career growth is exclusively a male prerogative..." (G); "in this case, I reason logically, career is growth, and growth is money, that's all. Therefore, the opportunity for career growth is important to me when choosing a profession ..." (M).

To clarify the plans of graduates after graduation, they were asked the question "What are your plans after graduation?" and offered a variation of specific alternatives, from which only one option could be chosen.

Table 2. Distribution of respondents' answers to the question "What are your plans after graduation?" (as a percentage of the number of respondents)

According to table two, it can be seen that most of the respondents are interested in working remotely (32%). This may be due to the fact that young people are used to using information technology, they feel more comfortable working as a lady. Some are influenced by bloggers, telling them how profitable it is to work remotely. The Covid-19 pandemic may have had some impact, showing how it is possible to work in full logdown mode. It was during the epidemiological situation that people tried to work remotely. It is important to note that women are more interested in remote work than men (27% and 11%, respectively). The female respondents explain their interest in remote work by "a free schedule, the opportunity to devote enough time to their hobbies and mental health." Men, in turn, note "the opportunity to work in the IT field and engage in programming." 

The second most popular alternative among respondents was "I will continue to receive education in another specialty" (24%). Of those who chose this answer, the overwhelming majority are women (29%). The girls say, "I am absolutely sure that I want to continue my education, but in a different specialty, I want to try myself in a radically different field ...". 12% of men are also absolutely confident in getting further education in another specialty. "At the moment, I am finishing web design. Undoubtedly, this is an interesting topic, but I will continue studying in the field of programming." It is important to note that the number of respondents who chose the alternative "I will continue to receive education in the same specialty" is significantly lower than those who are going to receive higher education in another specialty in the future (7%). There are more women than men among those who chose this alternative (19% and 5%, respectively). The respondents argue their position solely by their interest in the specialty they receive. No other motivations were found in the respondents during the in-depth interview.

According to the results of table two, it can be seen that only 11% of the respondents surveyed are going to go to work after receiving their education. Of this number, 6% of respondents plan to go to work in their specialty, the remaining 5% want to find a job in another field. In principle, the desire to work in any profession is more prevalent among men than among women. Another 20% of respondents plan to open their own business after graduation. Among them, 31% of men, this shows their confidence and determination in starting their own business. Among women, only 11% of respondents plan to open their own business. According to an in-depth interview, all the ideas of my small business are related to creativity: "I will sew things to order, something like an atelier at home; I will engage in hend mayd activities; I am already engaged in baking to order, it is actually very profitable." 

The theoretical analysis of concepts and theories explaining the formation of career trajectories of university graduates is carried out. The etymology and cultural differences in the perception of career paths are considered. Various approaches to understanding careers in psychology, pedagogy, economics, the sphere, and other disciplines are analyzed. The basic definition of a career trajectory is formulated – a planned graduate behavior strategy related to his future professional activity, including personal and professional prospects of the graduate, as well as methods and methods of searching for career opportunities. Based on this definition and the analyzed related concepts, three career levels were identified – personal (a sense of quality of life, awareness, internal career, etc. concepts), professional (knowledge, skills, professional growth, competence, competitiveness, etc.) and social (standard of living, social elevator, job growth, vertical and horizontal mobility, etc.). Data analysis showed that a correctly chosen profession increases self-confidence, life satisfaction, reduces problems associated with with physical and mental health. And the personal level of "quality of life", responsible for satisfaction, has a significant impact on social, objective indicators of quality of life. Theoretical approaches are analyzed to describe the formation and content of graduates' career trajectories. The psychological approach focuses on the study of self-perception, self-regulation of consciousness, and the process of choice. Pedagogical is based on the formation of certain professional interests and inclinations, the suitability of an individual for a particular profession. Sociologists and economists consider the career trajectories of graduates from the point of view of the need for this profession in society and taking into account the socio-economic relations of the specialized workforce within the organization. In this context, the scheme of professional specialization, types of career guidance and career growth, all kinds of careers of an employee and a graduate are considered. Personality-oriented, sociological, managerial-organizational, biomedical, pedagogical, legal regulation, complex (differentiated) approaches to career guidance are disclosed.

Empirical sociological research has shown that the majority of graduates are going to continue their education and only a part plans to go to work. Thus, according to the results of the conducted research, it was possible to identify the main trends in building career trajectories of graduates of Altai universities.