Features of educational and professional motivation of sociology students of the financial university under the government of the Russian Federation

The authors present an article devoted to the study of peculiarities of educational and professional motivation of sociology students of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. The study was conducted in response to the urgent problem of low awareness of the choice of profession among students and their dissatisfaction with professional prospects, which is confirmed by the statistics of employment of sociology graduates. The article analyzes the issues related to students' motivation to study and future professional activity, as well as the factors affecting their educational and career preferences. The research methodology includes a combined approach using in-depth interviews and a questionnaire survey conducted among 135 3rd–4th year undergraduate students of the direction «Economic Sociology». The authors found that the choice of university and specialty is often determined by external factors, such as the reputation of the university and advice from relatives, while the consciousness of choice and understanding of the profession remain low. A significant part of students do not plan to work in their specialty, preferring alternative career paths, which indicates a weak link between education and professional expectations. The interpretation of the results suggests that the prevalence of pragmatic and unconscious motives is associated with insufficient awareness of applicants and limited adaptation of educational programs to the labor market. The authors conclude that it is necessary to strengthen information support for sociology students and revise educational programs to form a sustainable professional motivation and identity. The work is of interest to specialists in sociology education, pedagogy and higher education management.