This question torments every conscious person at some point, in most cases they are asked by high school students and their parents. Of course, you need to approach the choice of profession seriously and thoroughly, but do not forget that there is a long life ahead, during which you can acquire more than one specialty and even radically change the type of activity.

And yet, I would like to note that the choice of the first profession is important and the approach to this action should be appropriate. What you need to do in order to choose the right educational institution, faculty, specialty, we roughly represent. Our self-determination takes place in early childhood, when we take on different professional roles. It ends in youth and is accompanied by the development of certain conditions that contribute to decision-making. Such conditions create a kind of formula for the future profession and conditionally they can be designated as “I can”, “I want” and “I need”.

Here, “I want” is our inclinations and interests (passion for objects, phenomena, events, various activities).

“I can” – a person’s abilities, his state of health (mathematical, creative, etc.).

And an important “must” – for example, a young man wants to become a gondolier and he has everything for this: excellent health, eloquence, a good memory and a pleasant voice. One problem is that gondolas do not run in our country, and accordingly our fictional hero will not find a use for the profession he received.

There are several typical mistakes when choosing a future profession, the knowledge of which will help you find a job that satisfies you as much as possible.

• Orientation only to the external side of the profession. It is necessary to learn more about the workflow, everyday life, possible difficulties.
• Transferring one’s attitude to a person, a representative of a profession, to the profession itself. Negative or positive character traits, a person’s manner of behavior are not always integral components of a particular profession.
• Equating academic subjects with professions. The world of the latter is much larger and does not always correspond to school subjects.
• The desire to follow the lead of the majority and get a profession “for the company”.
• Neglect of their personal qualities, abilities, inclinations, desires, level of knowledge and training.
• Neglect of the assessment of their physical capabilities, the level of loads, contraindications.
• Confusion in the concepts of “profession”, “position” and “specialty”.
• Attitude to the future specialty as the only one in life. In any field of activity, over time, there is a change of positions, places, the acquisition of related specialties, and all this with the growth of professionalism and qualifications of a person.
• The pursuit of prestigious professions. Study not fashion, but the labor market.
• Focus immediately on highly qualified professions.

• Do not treat the choice of profession as the choice of a lifelong haven.
• In any field of activity, there is a natural change of occupations, specialties, positions, places of work as a person’s qualifications increase.
• Do not confuse the position, profession and specialty.
• For example, a chief physician is a position, a doctor is a profession, a dentist is a specialty.
• Do not choose a profession based on its external characteristics. Always try to learn more about the content of the profession, the essential aspects of the daily work of a professional.
• Do not give in to prejudices about this or that profession.
• The fashion for professions is constantly changing, today some professions are prestigious, tomorrow – others. But the fashion for professions does not always keep up with changes in the labor market.
• Do not transfer your attitude to a person – a representative of a particular profession – to the profession itself.
• Cute or unsympathetic personal qualities of a particular person are not always professionally important for a particular profession.
• Do not identify academic subjects and professions.
• The world of professions is much wider than it can be imagined based on the list of school subjects.
• Do not choose a profession “for the company”, under the influence of comrades.
• We buy clothes and shoes according to our size, not what suits friends. Do the same with the choice of your profession.
• Do not choose a profession without understanding your personal qualities. It is very important to know your interests, inclinations, abilities, level of knowledge and preparedness.
• Do not choose a profession without evaluating your physical characteristics, shortcomings, essential when choosing a profession.
• Many professions have special requirements for the state of health, and some professions are contraindicated (not recommended) for certain features of the body, deviations in the state of health. Do not choose a profession without knowing the basic rules, actions and their order when solving the problem of choosing a profession. If you do not know how to solve the problem of choosing a profession, ask for help from a professional consultant

We hope that our recommendations will help you choose the right direction when choosing a profession, determine the main stages of solving the problem. However, do not take the instructions literally, it is even better if you creatively approach the matter and develop your own plan for yourself – a list of actions necessary for choosing a profession. This may include: an analysis of offers in the education market, an analysis of demand in the labor market, an objective assessment of one’s abilities, inclinations, and knowledge. Good luck!