5 Career and Educational Paths for College Graduates

In recent years, there has been a trend for more and more ninth-grade graduates to choose secondary vocational education (SVE) instead of continuing their education in high school. Since 2020, more than 50% of students have left school after passing the Basic State Exam (OGE). Interestingly, even among 11th-grade graduates, approximately 20% choose colleges over universities. This indicates that, despite continued high interest in higher education in Russia, educational paths related to secondary vocational education are becoming the most popular. In 2023, the number of college graduates exceeded the number of university graduates. However, this trend has generated mixed opinions. Some experts emphasize that college is beginning to be viewed as an independent educational path, contributing to a successful career for high school graduates. However, there are also statistics indicating less promising employment prospects for college graduates compared to their peers who graduated from universities. Graduates with secondary vocational education diplomas tend to receive lower wages and are more likely to be in informal employment, which deprives them of social security and creates less favorable working conditions.

It is believed that for some college students, choosing secondary vocational education (SVE) is not only a way to obtain a profession faster than university, but also an opportunity to avoid taking the Unified State Exam (USE) for subsequent university admission. While the scale of this "workaround" should not be exaggerated, especially given that universities can now accept applicants with SVE diplomas based on their USE results, the prevalence of this practice cannot be denied. In 2022, graduates of secondary vocational programs who completed their studies that year accounted for over 17% of the total number of those enrolled in bachelor's and specialist's degrees at higher education institutions. Graduates of secondary vocational education shape their educational and career paths differently after completing their studies at technical schools and colleges. However, until recently, information about these processes was rather limited. Researchers Vera Maltseva and Natalia Rosenfeld from the Institute of Education at the National Research University Higher School of Economics set out to clarify the situation. As part of the "Modern Education Analytics" series, they published the results of their study, "Life after College: Educational and Career Paths of Young People Based on a Longitudinal Study."

The researchers analyzed ten rounds of surveys conducted as part of the Trajectories in Education and Career (TrOP) project between 2012 and 2021. They focused on participants who had achieved the highest level of education—secondary vocational (SVE)—by 2021 at the age of 25–26. This meant that, although some of them may have begun university studies, they had not yet completed them. The final sample included 850 people, among whom the researchers discovered various characteristics of educational and career paths.

However, the researchers emphasize that the obtained results should not be generalized to the entire category of Russians with secondary vocational education, as the study sample has its own limitations. However, the identified patterns are quite significant.

The path of study participants to education and work

First, let us note the main characteristics of the study group. Unlike other participants in the TrOP project, in 2021 respondents with secondary vocational education were more often married - almost 40% of the 850 respondents, and about a third of them were raising children.

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All of them were independent from their parents, which cannot be said about all the college graduates participating in the project. In other words, those who chose college seemed to have reached adulthood faster than those who went to university. Furthermore, college graduates were more likely to find jobs in industries such as manufacturing, construction, and services, unlike their college-educated counterparts, who more often worked in education, information technology, or finance. Although it is worth noting that colleges also offer training in specialties in these fields.

Significant differences were found in the analysis of respondents with secondary vocational education. The researchers classified educational and career paths into five different categories:

Twenty-four percent of respondents fell into the short linear trajectory. This pattern is most typical among males. These men continued their education in colleges and technical schools after completing ninth grade, most often choosing programs aimed at training skilled workers or employees. After receiving their diploma, they typically completed mandatory military service and then found stable employment, remaining active in the labor market. In 2021, most of them worked in industries such as manufacturing and agriculture, holding positions that did not require special qualifications and were often unrelated to their college major. Their median income was 35,700 rubles.
A long linear trajectory was recorded for 23% of respondents. Notably, this trend is more characteristic of women, of whom they account for 63%. In 36% of cases, respondents continued their education in college after completing 11th grade, while the majority pursued vocational education in programs requiring more time to prepare mid-level specialists, often in the medical field. After completing college, they successfully found permanent employment, typically in their professional field. People representing this trajectory most often work in fields that require specialist qualifications. Their median salary is 30,600 rubles.
Another 17% of respondents fell into the inactive trajectory. After completing college, they, like the two previously mentioned groups, did not continue their education; however, their main difference lies in the lack of stable employment. Most often, these people completed training courses in technical specialties but, after receiving their diploma, were inactive in the labor market. This may be due to the need to care for children or difficulties finding employment, leading to temporary work or complete unemployment. Their median income was 24,800 rubles.
A late transition trajectory was noted in 21% of the study group. These participants, after completing college, continued their education at higher education institutions and, at the time of the last survey, were combining study with work. The majority of them, namely 64%, worked in their specialty in industrial sectors, occupying positions requiring high qualifications. The median income of such workers was 34,400 rubles.
As a result, approximately 15% of the sample showed an uncertain trajectory. These young people also often continued their education at universities after college, but not always successfully: many of them had dropped out by the time of the last survey. Some in this group, in turn, initially enrolled in universities, but, having encountered academic difficulties, then transferred to colleges. This group typically receives education in the socioeconomic and humanities, as well as employment outside their field of study, often in positions that don't require high qualifications. Furthermore, they are the group with the highest number of women with children. The median income of this category is 32 thousand rubles.

Photo: Parilov / Shutterstock

Thus, in the context of career growth, the most profitable There were two trajectories: a short linear one, since its followers have the longest work experience in one place and receive the highest income compared to others, and a late transit one. Representatives of the latter have a salary close to the previous category, and successful completion of education at a university will most likely lead to an increase in their income.

Factors Determining the Choice of Educational and Professional Path

The choice of educational and professional path of the study participants was determined by many factors that had already been identified in previous studies.

At first glance, the key aspect appears to be the level of academic success at school: those who choose long educational paths, as a rule, demonstrate good academic results, while among those who follow a less successful and less active route, students who experience difficulties with mathematics predominate.

Researchers emphasize that student success is largely determined by their families' resources. Factors such as parents' educational attainment and the availability of books in the home are closely linked to children's educational choices. For example, among those classified as low in educational activity and with short trajectories, 73% of parents do not have a college degree. Meanwhile, among young people who chose a late transition trajectory—that is, who continued their education after college and combined it with work—45% have at least one parent with a college degree.

When choosing educational and career paths, young women tend to take longer routes, but they are also more likely to experience career interruptions related to motherhood. According to a 2021 study, there is a significant income gap between male and female graduates: on average, women earned half as much as their male peers.

Furthermore, a graduate's career choice is largely determined by the region in which they live. For example, a characteristic feature of people on an inactive career trajectory is that they are more likely than others to live in areas with a problematic economic situation and limited access to higher education. This means that even if college graduates who were unable to find permanent employment have the desire and opportunity to continue their education, this may be difficult in their regions.

The problem of inequality in access to education is clearly evident in the choice of educational and professional trajectory.

5 Career and Educational Paths for College Graduates

Contents:

The path of study participants to education and work

Factors Determining the Choice of Educational and Professional Path