SOCIAL NETWORKS AND PROSPECTS FOR STUDENTS' PROFESSIONALIZATION

The article considers such factors as social networks and prospects for modern students’ professionalization. Based on the literature analysis on the problem of personal professionalization, data from the social networks analysis, the research hypothesis can be determined as follows: sociological survey of students for subscribing to personal accounts in social networks (for example, the social network “VKontakte”) to professional communities and / or personal (personal) webpages of professionals in a certain field involves professionalization, professional development, involvement in the field of subsequent professional activities. The objectives of the research are: firstly, based on the theoretical analysis of foreign and domestic literature, to identify the factors of the individual professionalization; secondly, to identify the possibilities of social networks (for example, the social network “Vkontakte”) in professionalization; thirdly, to conduct a sociological survey of students for subscribing to social networks (for example, the social network “Vkontakte”) to professional communities and/or personal webpages of professionals in a certain field; fourthly, to develop recommendations for teachers of educational institutions on using the social networks (for example, the social network “Vkontakte”) in the modern students’ professionalization; fifthly, to develop recommendations for increasing the interest of young people in social networks (for example, the social network “Vkontakte”) as potential sources for posting information about your own professional skills, because nowadays, students do not consider virtual communication as a platform for self-presentation in professional terms and do not see the informational benefits of social networks (for example, the social network “Vkontakte”) in terms of improving the effectiveness of their future employment. Data from a sociological survey on the topic “Social networks and self-presentation (using the example of the social network “Vkontakte”)”, conducted in November 2019, were used as materials. At the same time, we analyzed data obtained only from 3rd – 4th year undergraduate students of the I.N. Ulianov Chuvash State University (Cheboksary, Russia). A total of 256 people (including 107 boys and 149 girls) were interviewed at the full - time departments of the Economics Faculty, the History and Geography Faculty, the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, the Faculty of Applied Mathematics, Physics and Information Technology. The results of the research show that teachers and professionals in a certain field need to participate in professional communities in social networks. In modern realities, the educational system must learn to use the opportunities of mass communication with the maximum effect for itself. Basing on the research, we can note that a small part of students are aware of the importance of professional self-presentation in social networks, and the following can be recommended for more effective inclusion of students. Firstly, within the framework of career guidance, teachers need to conduct explanatory work aimed at acquainting students with the most popular specialties and areas of employment on the labor market at present time, as well as with the main requirements (not only professional, but also moral and ethical, image, etc.) imposed by employers on potential applicants. Secondly, University teachers should warn students against rash imitation of modern opinion leaders, teach young people to carefully analyze the truth of the information broadcast by them and carefully check the accuracy of the information received from bloggers. Thirdly, within the disciplines “Personal Career Management”, “Management and Career Planning in the Socio-Cultural Sphere”, you can apply the project method in the creative task “Building a personal brand in social networks”, which will allow students to expand their skills in searching for professional information in the virtual space. Thus, the students’ professionalization as a process should include new opportunities in the form of using social networks to form the competencies of a future specialist.