Youth after secondary education: educational and professional trajectories

On the basis of the longitudinal sociological research (1998–2008) of the life paths of graduates of secondary schools, specialized secondary schools and vocational schools of the Novosibirsk Region, the forming of educational and professional trajectories of youth are analyzed, their accumulation for over 10 years of independent life of educational resources, and their impact on objective social and professional position. Different groups of young people are differentially involved in raising their level of intellectual development, accumulating and updating necessary knowledge and skills. Their educational and professional trajectories are analyzed from the perspective of generation and accumulation of human assets, which means a set of economically valuable resources embodied in a person: knowledge, skills, motivations, etc. The educational trajectory is defined as obtaining by its subject of formal qualifications, competences confirmed institutionally, experience acquired informally in the form of knowledge and skills. A professional trajectory is determined in terms of transition of the subject from one position in the labor market to another. The analysis of accumulation of educational resources shows that the starting resource is an essential social characteristic that differentiates the further accumulation of educational capital that manifests itself in the educational and professional trajectories of different groups of youth. Almost all school-leavers continue their education, and graduates of vocational schools more often retain the level of education received. At the same time, the main feature of the youth in the ten-year accumulation of educational capital is an increase in the proportion of those who have passed through the system of higher education. A number of interdependencies between the volume and quality of the accumulated educational resources and the achieved social and professional statuses have been established. It is shown that accumulation of the educational potential predetermines not only the objective social position of the respondents, but significantly affects the subjective self-perception and self-esteem. Forming-up of a professional career increasingly depends on how intensively and purposefully the young accumulate knowledge, skills and qualifications. Investments in human capital, especially in education, bring benefits not directly related to income, but expressed, in particular, in increasing the social self-esteem of an individual.

educational and professional trajectories, accumulation of educational resources, human capital, formal and additional education, socio-professional status

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