Educational process as a strategy for social mobility and the occupational life: The case of young professionals

This study examines the acquisition of occupations by young people from professional occupational groups through higher education as a strategy for social mobility. The research data have been obtained through in-depth interviews with 40 individuals in professional occupational groups and the early stages of their working lives. The study analyses the possible links between education and working life in the process of social mobility and aims to evaluate the relationships and mechanisms that are effective in producing specific outcomes as expressed in the life histories of the individuals. Research data indicate that aspirations and expectations are formed first as imaginations for the future in the early stages of educational life and then given a more concrete form in the later stages, and the evaluation of opportunities and resources available at the disposal of family and individual influence occupational choices. Preferences and choices of occupation are formed based on factors such as family resources, educational and other university facilities, opportunities for employment after graduation, and the social and cultural facilities available in the city where the university is located. The valuation of occupations varies according to the status of an obtained degree in the labour market, the university's reputation, and the family's resources. The amount of material rewards obtained through the exercise of the profession is a significant issue when evaluating a profession, and most of the participants think that the amount of income they earn is below their expectations. However, other factors are also considered by the participants essential when making evaluations, and these factors may even lead to positive evaluations even if the material rewards are considered unsatisfactory. The findings suggest that social mobility should be seen as a dynamic process and treated as a more complex phenomenon rather than analysing specific causes and consequences.