THE OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE AS A SOCIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON: QUESTIONS OF THE THEORY

At different stages of the history of various types of labor assigned to the members of the society forced or involuntary manner. Only in a market society, i.e., under capitalism, the process of securing the labor of employees assumes the character almost free occupational choice. On the professional preferences of the applicant affect not only his needs, desires, motivation and personal qualities, but also the situation on the labour market and economic situation of the family.

In the Russian sociology there are two phenomena – the occupational choice and occupational selection. The occupational choice – a spontaneous process of finding an individual workplace, the characteristics of which would correspond to the characteristics of the person (inclinations, temperament, social status, place of residence, etc.). Occupational selection – purposeful selection of a single candidate among several applicants for vacancies, which is carried out expert – an employee of the organization, on the basis of the list of requirements that characterize a given workplace. Sociologists often use the definition that is offered by psychologists. According to the latest point of view, the occupational selection – a purposeful process of selecting a single candidate from the group of applicants for the position of those persons who meet the requirements of the workplace in their personal qualities.

Occupational selection – the process by which a company or an organization chooses from among the candidates of one or more that best fit under the criteria of selection for the vacant position, taking into account the current environment conditions. The occupational choice, as opposed to professional self-determination (for E.I. Golovakha) – a decision that affects only the near-term student life. American sociologist and psychologist D. Super believes that during the life (career), a person is forced to make a lot of choices (he considered a career as an “alternating elections”).

Sociologist is always interesting to know how a person chooses a profession: walking in the footsteps of their parents, chose institute, where was the least competition or, on the contrary, he acted in a prestigious university. If unable to pass competition from the first contest, he have done in the same institute again. Or he decided flexible approach to solving the problem, not to break the spear of an impregnable wall and choose the same profession, but in a different school. Or, in general, after the failure he has decided not to risk and spread to another profession.

The occupational choice and professional orientations of young people became the subject of studies by Russian sociologists in the 1960s. Following Novosibirsk sociologists study the professional and educational orientations began Baltic sociologists headed by M.H. Titma (M.I. Talyunayte, K.A. Pyarna), Leningrad with V.V. Vodzinskoy and V.A. Yadov, sociologists from Sverdlovsk (M.N. Rutkevich, L.Ya. Rubina, F.R. Filippov), Ukrainian sociologists led by V.F. Chernovolenko (V.L. Ossovsky, V.I. Paniotto), as well asBelarussociologists (V.N. Tihonov, Ya.V. Leverovskaya),Armenia(Dzhilavyan),Tajikistan(Sh. Shoismatuloev),Uzbekistan(Z.H. Saidov),Turkmenistan(G.N. Dzhumaeva). In the 1990s and 2000s under the leadership of D.L. Konstantinovsky, V.N. Shubkin, F.E. Sheregi, V.G. Harcheva, I.M. Kozina conducted serious research professional orientations of Russian schoolchildren. The data found that the claims of the students in future career too high in comparison with the needs of society.

The author seeks to draw clear boundaries between the occupational choice as a psychological (intrinsic motivation) and sociological (external institutionalization) phenomenon. In the second case, the person’s decision is influenced by such social agents as significant others, and social factors such as family background, material prosperity, social environment. Important factors of the occupational choice are vacancies in the labor market, the financial situation of the family of origin, socio-economic status, the prestige of the profession, age, na tional traditions and racial characteristics. The article distinguishes between two close concepts – occupational choice and professional selection. 

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