Psychologist Irina Umnyashova - About the reception campaign -2012

The 2012 reception campaign will last until July 25.

About what future students and their parents should pay special attention when choosing a specialty, Radio Liberty was told by the chairman of the Moscow Department of Education Psychologists, the head of the educational and production laboratory of the faculty "Psychology of Education" Irina Umnyashova :

- One of the main problems that high school students face today is, on the one hand, a huge variety of professions, on the other, poor awareness of official duties in a particular area, prospects for the development of a particular direction. The guys do not always know which universities are preparing in the specialty they need. Not to mention the ability to predict - here, in five years, when I graduate from the university, my profession will be in demand? Therefore, choosing, for example, between an economist or lawyer, they think little about how much five years this niche can be busy or free. The second aspect is psychological unremarking for an independent choice.

- What do you associate with this? Russian children have a shorter school history, which is shorter than European peers, can there be a reason? Or is it general infantilism brought up by parents?

- It seems to me that this is precisely infantilism, although not always borrowed from parents. Still, the current thirty-sorrels were determined faster with the choice of the life path, both my personal observations and scientific studies speak of this. But, the more society develops, the more technocratic and diverse it is, the longer the childhood period, and in order to master new specialties, a person needs more time to study.

In addition, a situation is imposed when it is simply impossible to show independence, say, rent an apartment and live separately from parents. In addition, a teenager very often does not have an understanding of his characteristics, abilities: in a modern school everyone is studying except the person himself. And a huge flow of information, which is sometimes difficult to cope with, does not give the child an idea of himself, about his capabilities.

And the third point is the position of parents, their excessive anxiety, it, of course, is justified by life experience, examples from the life of acquaintances. A high school student for many parents remains still a small child who is not able to make the right choice. And sometimes an unconscious need to choose for a child, make decisions is triggered. That is: we know that you will graduate from the university, what specialty you will receive, how you can sell yourself, and how much you will earn. Therefore, the mismatch of the capabilities and desires of the child himself, and sometimes even ignorance of his desires, is very good at the position “Well, it is good that they will make this choice, so calmer. I will go to the 10th grade to extend my school childhood, do not think about anything for two more years, and then everything will turn out, my parents will decide.”

This, of course, does not belong to all high school students, of course, there are people who already know their direction from high school, but sometimes they are faced with similar parental attitudes and an idea of a happy future. In my advisory practice, there have been quite a lot of cases when high school students came with a request to help their parents explain that they want to choose another specialty. That is, sometimes the teenager does not have the strength to tell parents himself how he represents his future.

- Often, schoolchildren choose the subject that is well taught, like the teacher, so everything is clear, and, therefore, in this direction should be moved on. But in fact, this is also a deception, a combination of circumstances. When the guys are addressing you for advice, do you understand where the awareness of their mission comes to them, if it comes?

- Usually they turn to a psychologist when there is just no understanding, awareness of his purpose, when a person stands on a fork: and it seems to be like it, and I also want to try ... It seems to me that the problem of the education system is that we have very few practical or practical -oriented subjects. It is very important for a teenager to try himself in some kind of social design, in real activities, in the field of work with people. And always in the field of "man - machine, technique."

By and large, a person must decide on two levels - a theoretical awareness of himself, and then you need to receive information about himself, feel about his abilities, and at a practical level - try himself in various types of activities. Due to the fact that the school program is overloaded with theoretical disciplines, high school students are more likely to master science, they most often do not have such an opportunity - to try themselves in practice. Some, however, are trying to get a job in the summer, but this, unfortunately, is quite difficult, and we simply do not have an organization that would help adolescents temporarily employed.

After all, it is important not only to try yourself in some kind of activity that you choose, for example, it is not necessary to go to the legal office and become an assistant to a lawyer, first a person must try himself as an act, when he independently makes a decision, communicates in the work team, with the employer. There is a certain illusory representation of high school students that "I will study and will be successful at work." But in the end: he studied, and even with a red diploma - and is far from success at work. Most of today's graduates have experience in gaining knowledge from books, from a teacher, and studying in practical activities - there is almost no such experience, and this is a big problem.

The conversation about what the graduates of this year chose and will continue on Sunday, June 24 in the program "Class House of Liberty" , at 22.00.