Work Image in the Opinion (Perception) of High School Students

Abstract

The period of growing up and entering adulthood is the time to make important life decisions. One of the priority is the decision regarding further education and professional career. It is important that when planning your professional future (future career), a young person chooses an area of activity in which he/she will be able to make the best use of his/her resources. When making rational decisions about your own future, knowledge about the labour market and the requirements related to future professional work are certainly helpful. The aim of the research was to determine the image of work in the perception of secondary school students. The research shows that young people studying in secondary schools have a fairly realistic picture of professional work. The concept of good work is mainly related to such aspects as high earnings, a sense of satisfaction as well as the possibility of development and fulfillment. The respondents are aware of the employers’ requirements for future employees. They listed such aspects as: diligence, responsibility, professional experience, and having the skills desired for a given profession. The conducted research created an image of young people, who mostly do not have fully defined career plans and have limited professional experience. An analysis of the answers of the boys and girls surveyed indicates the existence of some differences in the perception of work by both groups.