Career Choice of Youthful Population in the Kemerovo Region

The so-called youth factor aggravates the situation in the regional labor markets. As a rule, young people are slow to develop education and career choice. Subsequently, they choose majors they have no interest for, which results in a careless attitude to training. The youth factor also includes such issues as high migration, active labor mobility, vague career plans, etc. The present research objective was to perform a diachronic analysis of the professional preferences demonstrated by the university students in the Kemerovo Region. The sociological study identified some patterns in the way high school students choose their education and career path. For instance, medical and IT specialties have become more popular, while economic and managerial areas are losing their attractiveness. Students choose their future profession based on career prospects, labor market, and salary, not on their interests. Finance, mass media, and municipal administration are giving way to healthcare, IT, law enforcement, culture, sports, and leisure. Applicants are guided primarily by the advice of their parents or their own opinion. About a third of high school students would like to occupy a managerial position or run a business of their own, while 45% prefer to work as employees.