From the author: I received the following response to the first article: “It’s clear about the importance of choice. I would like to read about specific recommendations for career guidance.” I answer: specific recommendations can only be given to a specific person, taking into account his personal characteristics and not in an article, but in a personal consultation. Just like reading an article is not enough to recover from a specific disease - you will need to see a doctor, research, medications, procedures Here I will tell you how professional self-determination works, what it depends on and what it influences, how it relates to other aspects of a person’s life, including his family situation. I plan to publish a series of issues, follow the publications))) It is in work that a person expresses his personality, the inclinations and capabilities inherent in it. Thus, professional activity almost entirely determines the individual’s vitality. Choosing a profession also means determining one’s future standard of living. An incorrect decision is usually based on insufficient knowledge of the conditions of choice. A mistake made when choosing is costly to society and traumatizes the life of a young person. Self-doubt generated by failure leads to new mistakes and can significantly affect the entire future path of life. One of the most complete periodizations of the formation of a subject of activity is considered to be the concept of the outstanding American psychologist Donald Super, who identified five stages: 1. Growth – development of interests, abilities (0-14 years);2. Research – testing one’s strengths (14-25 years old); 3. Affirmation – professional education and strengthening of one’s position in society (25-44 years);4. Maintenance – creation of a stable professional position (45-64 years);5. Recession – decrease in professional activity (65 years or more). E.A. Klimov, a famous Soviet and Russian psychologist and psychophysiologist, proposes the following periodization of a professional’s life path: - option - the period of choosing a profession in an educational and professional institution; - adaptation - entering a profession and getting used to it; - internal phase - acquiring professional experience; - mastery - qualified performance of work; - authority phase - the achievement of high qualifications by a professional; - mentoring - the transfer of experience by a professional. Psychologists agree that the factor of professional development is the internal environment of the individual, his activity, the need for self-realization, professional competence and emotional (behavioral) flexibility. These characteristics are the psychological basis necessary in all types of professional activities. Thus, the essence of professional self-determination is the independent and conscious finding of the meaning of the work performed and all life activities in a specific cultural-historical (socio-economic) situation, the formation of oneself as a full-fledged participant in the community of “doers” of something useful, a community of professionals. The need for self-actualization in the classical theory of A. Maslow refers to the highest level in the hierarchy of needs: The famous American psychologist M. Argyle considers work an essential component of human happiness: “... by happiness people mean either a state when a person experiences joy or other positive emotions, or life satisfaction. These two components are often studied in various studies of happiness, and we will see that the reasons for them are somewhat different. Quite often, another component is considered - the absence of depression, anxiety and other negative emotions.” Most people enjoy work not only because it allows them to receive rewards or achieve some other goals, but also because it serves as a source of internal satisfaction, and relationships with work colleagues contribute to social satisfaction.” “Is job satisfaction.