Motivation for choosing a career in the construction industry

Abstract

Introduction. The choice of the future profession, that determines the field of occupation, stages of continuous education, and routes to self-fulfillment, is a most important decision made in the course of a human life. The problem of choosing a career is not new, and it remains relevant at the present time. The purpose of the study is to identify the principal motives underlying career-related decisions, that make students choose the master programmes offered by NRU MGSU. Materials and methods. The methods, used by the co-authors, include interviews, didactic testing and observation of the process of its implementation by the students. The analysis and generalization of the empirical data, obtained in the course of didactic testing, have allowed to determine the principal motives underlying the choice of advanced master programmes provided by NRU MGSU. Results. Principal motives underlying the choice of master programmes, offered by NRU MGSU, include the prestige and popularity of professions in the construction industry; competitive compensation packages and career opportunities; satisfaction of educational needs, self-improvement and self-fulfillment; interest in computer systems and IT technologies; dynasties in the construction industry; willingness to serve the society and see the work results. Conclusions. Material and status-related motives have determined the choice of the master programmes delivered by NRU MGSU. This fact is explained by the development of research and practice, the upgrade of currently offered specialties and emergence of new ones, ensuring the advancement of the construction industry and allowing people to maintain their sufficiently high socio-economic status. The second important factor encompasses the motives that deal with the personality and his/her creativity and the motives that are associated with the satisfaction of educational needs, self-improvement and self-fulfillment. This factor substantiates the need to make schoolchildren think about their future profession as a self-fulfillment opportunity within the framework of vocational guidance procedures, and to encourage the manifestation of the need for continuous education, personal and professional development. A comprehensive analysis of motives can serve as the basis for improving the system of vocational guidance designated for schoolchildren and popularization of careers in the construction industry.