Professional self-determination in the context of continuing education

Abstract

In this article, the author examines the features and difficulties of decision-making related to professional implementation. Research shows that only 4 out of 10 Russians choose their profession once and stay with it forever, while the rest, after completing their education, do not go to work in their chosen specialty and are forced to think about changing their field of activity. The author is convinced that in order to minimize such selection errors, it is necessary to pay great attention to the formation of a person’s professional self-determination at each stage of its development, as well as timely professional guidance. As part of the study, the author reveals the essence and features of the process of self-determination. The author focuses on the fact that professional self-determination and personal development occurs continuously throughout a person’s life and work path and includes several stages. The study also included a comparative description of approaches to the periodization of professional self-determination and human development. According to the author, the most pressing issue of professional self-determination faces schoolchildren, because it is during their school years that students are faced with the internal need to understand their purpose in life. In this regard, the article also provided a comparative description of individual methods of vocational guidance for schoolchildren. The article emphasizes that the diagnosis of professional potential begins at the stage of personnel selection and decision-making on hiring a particular candidate. The author also focuses on the fact that after accepting an employee to the headquarters, an assessment of his potential can be carried out at any frequency established by the organization’s management. The final part of the article formulates a conclusion regarding the features of diagnosing the professional potential of an employee.