Why children should choose their own profession and how to help them with this. Why do children's dreams about future professions differ in different countries? What does a child want to become?

What did we dream of becoming when we were little? Boys are astronauts, builders, doctors. And the girls are ballerinas, teachers, actresses. Has much changed since then? What do our children dream of becoming now?

On the eve of Cosmonautics Day, the editors of Tlum.Ru studied the forum of the portal u-mama.ru and found out what professions modern kids choose for themselves.

BOYS:

“Grisha wants to be an artist-builder-astronaut and something else, I forgot.”

“My son is 7 years old, we were just talking about this topic yesterday. He wants to be an investigator - to catch criminals, unravel complex mysteries.”

“Mine wants to be a dinosaur and Spiderman. and also a zoo worker - the current Dinozoo.”

“Romka says that he will make robots (he has robotomania), he says that he will invent a robot for me that will help me, and he will definitely invent a car that will fly and will never break down.”

"4 years. For a year now he has been wanting to become a doctor and only a doctor (nobody canceled genetics)

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Who will you treat? Children, animals?

You, mom!

A curtain…".

“A motorcycle racer. And before that I was going to become the “chief of all builders”))).”

“We, too, have been wanting to be a “designer who designs cars” for a year now. Previously, I wanted to be a taxi driver.”

"Truck driver (I'm 3.11)."

“He wants to be a driver, but I’m setting him up for the ‘big boss’ to drive the ‘most expensive car’.”

“My ten-year-old son wants to become a paleontologist%0 that’s where dinosaur hobbies lead!”

“My son (almost 6) says that he will be a doctor and a composer, like Alexander Rosenbaum, he has obvious abilities for music, well, we have a beloved uncle who is a doctor, so everything is logical.”

GIRLS:

“Mine is 7 years old. Last year she wants to be a designer and translator. In principle, she has an interest in languages, she remembers quickly, and always diligently does her homework in English. At the same time, she loves all sorts of decorations, rearranging things, and inventing makeup. He plays on the computer very rarely, but it’s always some kind of game, either to create an image or an interior.”

“Being a FC coach is the last one. And there were so many things: a model, a princess, a car designer, I don’t remember everything.”

"Car designer"

“And so, in life - of course, as a veterinarian. Or an ethologist. We dream of going to the reserve and observing the life of tigers in nature.”

“At the age of 7, my daughter wanted to be a pathologist, then a choir conductor. Somewhere in the class 5th lawyer, now he hesitates between the teacher junior classes and a doctor, although training is based on the medical profession.”

“Since he was 5 years old (now 9), he has dreamed of working in a dolphinarium. And maintain a shelter for cats and dogs.”

“Mine (she is 7 years old) has not yet decided on her desires. Of the latter, he was a photojournalist. And finally, her main leitmotif lately is - I want to be famous. Yesterday we watched a film about Pugacheva on NTV, Katka said: “I want to be her.”

“When I was little, I always said dreamily: “And I, mother, will be the director of the city” ....”

“My daughter (9 years old) wants to be a Latin coach. She’s completely obsessed with these beautiful girls who lead their dances.”

“Mine (in three weeks it will be five) wants to become an astronaut. She really regrets that “they don’t take moms and dads into space.”

Seven-year-old Anechka, when she grows up, dreams of becoming a model and earning as much as $505 a year, her younger brother is planning a career as an international spy with an annual income of $500,000. Children are always confident that in the future they will only do things that interest them, and they are little concerned about the financial aspects of their “ideal” profession. However, as they grow up, they are saddened to discover that being a ballerina, writer or artist is hard work and not always well paid.

Business magazine Forbes in October 2008, published the results of a survey of children aged 5 to 12 years old in New York in order to find out what our world will be like in a quarter of a century, if today’s kids still listen to their hearts and master their dream profession and what their dreams are will be their income.

Based on the data obtained, experts made a disappointing conclusion: the most attractive professions for children turned out to be the lowest paid. For example, firefighters, who are preferred by 5 out of 33 six-year-old children, earn much less than doctors and astronauts.

Overall, the survey showed that children have a very poor understanding of the value of money. By the way, junior high school students were confident that the head of the police department earned $29 a year, a lawyer earned $59, and dancers who suddenly became rich earned $165 in 12 months.

Respondents over 11 years of age, on the contrary, demonstrated a tendency to exaggerate their salaries. They are confident that writers have an income of $210,000, and everyone's favorite explorers of intergalactic space have an income of $362,000. It becomes clear why parents so often indignantly reprimand their children with the phrase: “Do you think I print money?”

However, the good news for the younger generation is that in today's job market, there is more demand than ever before. a large number of specialists of completely different profiles. Whatever the baby dreams of becoming, according to Forbes, it is achievable.

Astronaut

Although there is no more romantic activity in the world than exploring the expanses of the Universe, and the astronauts themselves can be classified as representatives of rare professions, space workers cannot be called rich. Even in a country like the United States, they earn no more than $87,000 a year, which is significantly less than the contents of the compensation packages of American top managers.

Athlete

The fame of Tiger Woods, the most famous golfer and the wealthiest athlete in the world, who earned $100 million last year, haunts American children. They don't realize that "normal" athletes don't have endorsement deals with Nike or Gatorade. Their annual incomes are typically $74,440.

Dancer

Popular television clones of “Dancing with the Stars” have created the illusion not only among Russian but also among American children that the profession of a dancer is prestigious and in demand. In fact, it is not so easy for both Western and domestic “dancers” to find work, and their wages rarely reach the national average. Even working 40 hours 52 weeks a year, American dancers' fees barely exceed $29,000. The most talented of them can achieve $40,000 a year, but only by getting a job with a well-known agency.

Doctor

Years of study, constant overtime and night shifts...for what? It is known that an American general practitioner earns from $150,000 per year, and surgeons and anesthesiologists earn about $180,000 per year. There are no exact data on the income of Russian doctors: statistical sources operate with too different figures. According to some data, the monthly income of the capital's "aibolites" is approximately 25,000 rubles, and those located near Moscow - 17,000 rubles. It is difficult to judge the picture in the regions: we can talk about either 5,000 rubles or 15,000 rubles.

Firefighter

Heroes who are ready to rush into the fire, saving the lives of other people, alas, are not valued by either the Russian or the American state. In accordance with the new decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, from December 1, 2008, wages for firefighters with all additional payments will be at least 20,000 rubles per month. Their Western colleagues live on $42,000 a year

Movie star

If the baby is unlucky enough to be born Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks or Nicole Kidman, who last year added $92 million, $74 million and $28 million respectively to their wealth, he will have to survive on only crumbs from the Hollywood pie. “Ordinary” hard-working actors don’t drive expensive cars, because $45,000 a year can’t buy them.

Policeman/policeman

If law enforcement officers were paid more, the line between law and anarchy would be wider. In Russia, a police officer rarely receives more than 15,000 rubles a month from the state. In the USA, a policeman also doesn’t ride like a pancake on his $48,000 a year.

Singer

Yes, rapper Jay-Z made $83 million in a year, and Madonna made “only” $72 million. But is this conceivable for a boy who lives on tips for his songs with a guitar in a small cafe in a residential area? If all street singers in the birthplace of modern pop music had the opportunity to work full time for a year, they would earn $57,220.

Writer

Joanna Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, undoubtedly managed to raise the prestige of her profession in the eyes of young readers... as well as being able to turn into a billionaire. Her “average” colleagues are content with fees in the amount of $58,000, and journalists - around $42,000.

Every now and then you hear talk about how children today are different, with different values ​​and priorities. Previously, all the boys wanted to be astronauts, but now they are eager to become directors.

Is it really? How have children's aspirations changed since our childhood? Let's talk about this topic!

Money

Nowadays, you must admit, children are starting to get acquainted with money much earlier and closer, or something. The stores have a huge assortment of goodies and toys that you can only get for money. The logic is simple - the child wants to become the one who has a lot of them.

Previously, my daughter was sure that salespeople and cashiers were handling almost millions. After all, they are the ones who have the cash register with a lot of banknotes. Therefore, she really wanted to become a salesperson in a store.

I was able to explain to her the approximate structure of the store, in which the seller receives only his salary, and not all the money from the cash register. My daughter’s ardor has subsided a little, but we haven’t had any less games in the store. Of course, all the money earned went into her wallet, and not to product suppliers.

Beauty industry

It's rare to find girls who are indifferent to hairstyles, makeup and clothes. I still remember how I cut dolls’ hair, and now my child does the same.

What has changed?

It seems to me that there have been no radical changes over the past few decades, and the professions of firefighters and doctors are still popular among children. I admit, I have never heard of anyone wanting to become a businessman or director, as grandmothers on benches like to talk about it.

On the other hand, preschoolers are not yet familiar with the whole variety of professions and their characteristics. Therefore, to decide on priorities, you will have to wait at least until adolescence.

So far, my daughter is interested in many professions - sometimes she wants to make candy, sometimes she wants to work in a toy store or be a singer. I try to talk about it as clearly as possible back side many specialties. About the fact that gymnasts are not only beautiful costumes, but also a lot of training, and the life of actresses is not only about performances.

What do your children want to become? Do you think children's priorities have changed in recent years?

To receive the best articles, subscribe to Alimero's pages on

What did children want to become in Russia's recent past?

What parents do not dream that their child will succeed in future adult life? good profession, earned decent money, in general, so that everything worked out well for him. So, about the profession... If the older generation’s ideas about future profession children are often radically opposed to the opinions of their high school youth, what can we say about what children want to become, in such at a young age, when it seems too early to talk about vocation.

However, to determine your child’s abilities, you can take a short test that will show you in which direction to move!

And yet, even junior schoolchildren have their own opinion (admittedly, often changing) about what they want to become in the future. Sometimes children want to become teachers, doctors, engineers, that is, they dream of the most familiar and prosaic professions. But much more often their dreams are about unusual and heroic professions. But this happened before, and specifically in Russia, when it was still the Soviet Union. During the times of great “stagnation”, girls dreamed of becoming teachers, doctors, boys - engineers, military men, geologists, and often chose more heroic professions, pilot or astronaut.

The country is changing, dreams are changing

Everything changed very much when our country unexpectedly emerged from many years of Brezhnev’s “stagnation”, stumbled a little on Gorbachev’s “acceleration” and quickly moved towards the rosy capitalist vistas. Children began to dream about what they wanted to become, in accordance with ideas about the prestige and attractiveness of those professions that at that time seemed the most interesting, promising and profitable. In the nineties in Russia, boys wanted to be bankers, businessmen, lawyers, sometimes racketeers, and girls wanted to be models, movie stars, and economists.

I will give a specific example, by the way, from the life of my own family. My daughter was little during the stagnation, and her “blue dream” was to become an animal tamer in the circus. He even trained our little kitten, and she was pretty good at it. But my husband and I, full of pragmatism, explained to her in great detail that this is absolutely impossible, that it is very difficult to enter a circus school, that, basically, children of circus performers become circus performers, etc. etc. These are unreasonable parents!


Our little daughter cried bitterly because we took away her childhood dream. When her daughter grew older, she herself would forget about the circus, and how she wanted to become a tamer. That’s what happened, by the way. My son was a junior high school student in the nineties, then the majority of people lived financially unstable (delayed salaries, rapidly rising prices) and when we asked what he wanted to become, he answered: “I will work for those who have a large salary.”

My conclusion not only from my own experience, but also from numerous statistical observations on the topic “What do children want to become” is that children’s preferences about their future profession are a reflection of real life and the situation in the country during the period of time in which they are small. Most often, as children grow older, they change their minds about their future profession, although not always.

What do modern Russian children want to become?

Currently, Russian children’s ideas about what they want to become have changed dramatically compared to the years of stagnation, but they also differ significantly from children’s preferences about desired professions during the “roaring nineties.”

Conducted in 2013, a sociological survey among a large group of children from 9 to 13 years old from different schools, determined what children want to become when they grow up.

• The activity that came in first place among boys was own business, among girls - to become a “star”.
• Then the most popular professions among boys were “stars”, programmer, athlete (everyone knows that big-time sports now pay well), among girls - designer, businesswoman, photographer.
• The last places in this survey for both boys and girls are occupied by the professions of doctor, scientist and astronaut.
• In general, no one dreams of becoming a teacher.
• Another small percentage of children said that they did not want to work at all.

And here are specific statements from children about what they want to become when they grow up:

I want to become a star. They earn a lot, dress beautifully and everyone loves them.
Alina, 10 years old, survey conducted in 2011
- When I grow up, I will become a banker, they always have a lot of money, and the work is not difficult, just sit and count the money or look at all sorts of documents.
Oleg, 12 years old, 2014 survey
When I grow up, I don’t want to work as anyone, because I don’t like to work. But I still have to, so I will work where they pay more.
Andrey, 13 years old, survey 2014.

These are how pragmatic and unromantic our modern Russian children are. Perhaps surveys and statistical observations do not provide a complete picture of what our children want to become, but the tendency to live well and earn a lot is clearly visible.

So, everything about our children is more or less clear. But what about in other countries, what do their foreign peers dream about?

What do children want to become in countries with developed capitalism?

In many countries where life is stable, where there were no Russian ups and downs, and public and political system and the ideology has not changed for decades, the views of children about what they want to become are somewhat different from the views of our children.

What kind of jobs do children dream of in successful America?

Here are the results of a survey conducted in America in November 2015:

• The profession of an athlete comes first
• The next three places are occupied by the professions of doctor, teacher and veterinarian
• Next in descending order are the professions of firefighter, scientist and astronaut.
• And the last places in this survey are occupied by the professions of engineer and police officer

So, are small US citizens more romantic, that they put the professions of a teacher, a doctor, a veterinarian almost in first place? This is unlikely; in America, where adults place success and good income at the forefront of the main American values, children cannot have such idealistic views of what they want to become when they grow up.


Most likely, the fact that these professions in the United States are well-respected and well paid attracts young Americans. But in some ways, the views of American and Russian schoolchildren regarding their future occupations converge, and for both of them, the professions of a scientist and astronaut are not particularly successful. Maybe because the work of an astronaut (astronaut) is dangerous, and to become a scientist you need to have talent or at least a calling.

Practical views of German children

And what do European children, and specifically German children, want to become? In November 2013, a survey was conducted in Germany among 500 children aged 5 to 9 years.

• In the first place for little Germans is the work of a veterinarian,
• on the second - a football player and a policeman,
• then come, respectively, the pilot, the racing driver,
• on the last one - a fireman and a nurse.

As you can see, the dreams of German children about what they want to become in the future are quite specific and pragmatic. They don’t dream of becoming “stars” and models, and doing business doesn’t appeal to them either.

What do children in the Land of the Rising Sun want to become?

Let's see what children want to become on the other side of the Earth, for example, in Japan. The studies were conducted among preschool children and junior schoolchildren up to 5th grade.

The desires of Japanese children differ significantly from their Russian, American and European peers.

Although little Japanese, like Americans, put the profession of football and baseball player in first place,

but in second place is the work of the cook and pastry chef,

and in the middle of the list is a doctor and a scientist.

Japanese children even dream of getting working professions - machinist, driver, carpenter. True, these works are in penultimate places, but they still exist.

Among the preferences of Japanese children about what they want to become is a fantastic profession - an anime hero.

But Japanese girls seem to have come out of Russia in the sixties and seventies. In the first place among little Japanese women are the professions of confectioner and teacher. kindergarten, doctor, teacher.

In the middle of the list are a trainer, a nurse, a pianist and a flower girl. And only a small percentage of girls ( last place on the list of desired professions) want to work in the field of beauty and show business. The complete opposite of their Russian peers.

What do the little inhabitants of the Earth want to become and, most importantly, why?

On what basis do children choose future professions? And why do children's dreams about what they want to become in the future, in different countries, also different? In my opinion, there is nothing complicated in this question, not Newton’s binomial.

The views, judgments and opinions of our children, and not only on the issue of their future profession, are only a reflection of our adult life. It may be correct, sometimes distorted, but it is a reflection of adult life and the opinions of the adults themselves in the very country where the children live. Children’s desires about who they want to become are influenced by adult conversations, television, the Internet (these are the legislators of all concepts), and their own observations.


They, of course, do not know all the specific features and complexities of the chosen professions, but judge by external signs attractiveness and success of a particular job, but this is not the main thing. After all, adults, even having learned a profession, also do not fully understand, until they work, what exactly their future occupation actually represents.

The main thing is that children, our future and the future of our planet, want to become someone, they want to do what they love, and not just mindlessly live and enjoy life like a plant. And it doesn’t matter that they often become not what they wanted to be in childhood, and their childhood dreams undergo significant changes subsequently, the main thing is that they adulthood was not overshadowed by an unsuccessfully chosen occupation.

Actually, now we won’t even know if it’s true that all children Soviet Union dreamed of becoming astronauts, or is this another propaganda myth about a wonderful life under a dictatorship. But someone must have dreamed. And, no matter what those who like to criticize modern children may think, some of them still dream of becoming an astronaut. Or a doctor. Or an architect. Or a musician. Most children have a very specific idea of ​​what they want to become. And whatever it is, no matter how far this profession is from the one that you yourself have outlined for your “I’m putting so much into it” child, you need to help him, and here’s why.

1. Only 30% of adults work in the profession they dreamed of since childhood.

2. 60% of people who did not grow up to be the person they dreamed of growing up say they are unhappy at work.

3. At the same time, 85% (think about it) of those who work what they dreamed of as children are happy.

4. 54% of teenagers taught to be pragmatic by adults say they are ready to sacrifice their dreams and choose a profession that will bring them more money.

5. At the same time, only 13% of adults are ready to exchange their favorite job for an unloved one, but one that brings high income.

What does this all mean? Well, firstly, of course, that, apparently, with age we still get smarter and understand that achieving happiness is difficult, and it is not entirely related to the amount of money. It's comforting.

But what’s not very comforting is that most children are going to make a terrible mistake and choose what they want to become based on how much they will earn (and it’s not a fact that they will), and not based on how much they will earn. the activity will make them happy.

These numbers are like a journey into your child's future. Maybe now is just the moment when you need to stop talking to him about money and start talking about what he wants and shouldn't do when he grows up.

So, how to make sure that your child becomes what he wants when he grows up.

1. Don't crush his dreams

Your child dreams of a profession that, in your opinion, is completely unsuitable for him. With such a profession you can’t earn a living. Or he dreams of something so powerful that you know for sure that he will never be able to become a doctor or a ballerina. Never. There's no chance. You also dreamed of many things as a child, but you couldn’t. That means he won't be able to either.

This is a rare moment when, as a good parent, you need to shut up. The conversation now is not about you, but about your child. And the fact that you failed to fulfill your childhood dream does not mean that he will not succeed either.

Or maybe you secretly even want him to fail, so that you don’t feel like such a loser compared to him?

If you are confident in yourself, you want him to succeed, but your motivation in this case is not so important. There is no need to tell your child that his dream does not suit you. No matter how crazy she is, it's your job to support her. Yes, 99 children out of 100 will not succeed, but one will succeed, and perhaps precisely because someone supported him in childhood. Maybe this one child is yours.

2. Make an action plan

Help your child make up detailed plan actions. Do not limit yourself to the official and meaningless “if you study well, you will become a good student.” It won't. You know very well that an A in the certificate does not at all guarantee your child the career he dreams of. You need a detailed plan.

What items are the most important? What should you pay special attention to? What additional courses should I take? What are the best universities and what does it take to get into them?

What additional skills that are completely unrelated to this profession might be useful? Language? Which?

Sport? What else do you need to know? What to learn? Who to talk to? And what is plan B if you can’t get into the best university? Is it worth going to a worse university or better year work and gain experience?

Whatever the plan, it’s time to explain to the child that people very often do not succeed in their plans the first time, and this does not mean that you need to give up. This means you need to try again. Until victory.

3. Allow him to change his dream

Another problem with children's dreams is that they often change with age, and greatly. And sometimes you breathe out a sigh of relief because the previous dream was impossible (or did not suit you), and sometimes, on the contrary, you tense up. And in families where the child is very supported and invests a lot in making his dream of a profession come true, children who for some reason change their minds are often afraid to tell their parents about it out of guilt - “Well, what am I going to say now that now I want to become an architect, not a doctor, when my mother has been paying for a chemistry tutor for me for five years.”

Explain to your child that he has every right to change his mind at any stage. You won't think less of him because of this.

Do you allow yourself to change your mind on any occasion, but do you demand from a 14-year-old person that he firmly decide what he will do for the rest of his life?

Help him. It is your main responsibility to make him who he is.