Ukrainian statistics shows that most students having graduated from institutes and universities do not get a job in their field of specialization. It is sad to realize that newly trained economists, lawyers, and managers work and earn their living doing non-qualified work, at the same time taking someone else's jobs at local factories and companies. The results of all-Ukrainian poll held among undergraduate university students demonstrated that only forty percent of the respondents were going to work in the field in which they got their major. So what is the reason of such wide spread mistakes in the choice of profession leading to the further changes of occupation?

We became interested in how young people chose their future profession today. So, after holding an interview among high-school students, we got the following responses: a) the profession is ‘fashionable’ or ‘up-market’; b) my parents want me to get this profession; c) I just want to get a university diploma.

This poll proved that students’ motivation is low or is absent as we did not hear any specific and well-reasoned responses from girls and boys. Such attitude to their future is understandable as school students usually do not possess enough life experience to evaluate the situation for many years ahead, and wise advisers, such as educators or other authoritative adults are not always next to them when they need them most. So teenagers listen to the point of view of their peers or do what their parents tell them to, and the latter, as we all understand, want only the best for their children, but are not always able to help them in the best way possible. As for us, we are sure that the choice of future profession should be made by boys and girls on their own, and the role of grown-ups is to give children as much information about the options available as it is possible.

Another important factor which determines inability of university graduates to work in the chosen area is lack of adequate training. All the educators are obliged to use teaching manuals which have to pass preliminary approval in the Ministry of Education of Ukraine. But today science develops so rapidly that such manuals just can’t be published in due time to catch up.

These as well as many other factors make university graduates choose another job, not adequate to their qualifications, pass training to obtain another specialty or, which is worst of all, leave them unemployed.

We understand the role of future profession in the life of any university-student-to-be, so the "Happy Child" Foundation, together with administrators of education institutions and companies of our city, keep on organizing tours to large and small enterprises for high-school students. The aim of such tours is to help young people choose their future profession. This time “I Want to Be…” Project allowed students of the boarding school #7 to visit the Editorial House of Subbota Plus Newspaper, which is currently one of the most popular in Zaporozhye, during their spring vacations. This weekly newspaper with the biggest circulation in Zaporozhye region is an independent informational and political periodical, which presents current events of the city and region on its eighty pages.

So what is happening there behind the doors of the Editorial House? What is to be done for the newspaper to be published? Natalia Zakharova, correspondent of Subbota Plus newspaper, agreed to help us find answers to these questions. This lady, who is a true professional of journalism, gave us an exciting tour to all departments of the Editorial House, where the potential future journalists could see all the aspects of this job.

Here the students-to-be heard what qualities a real journalist should possess.

“Every journalist analyses anything that happens from the point of view of the audience – if it is going to be interesting to the readers. So how can I briefly explain the scheme of journalists’ work? First of all the journalists bring me printed materials on the topic which we define a week before. I check all the texts and then give them back for re-writing or pass them to be printed. Later on the materials go to the next department where the layout is prepared. I look through the texts once more and pass them to the Printing Department”, - explained the Editor-in-Chief of Subbota Plus newspaper Bogdan Vasilenko.

There are many employees working at the Editorial House who are divided into various departments which are all responsible for a certain area of work. Thus, the Marketing Department prepares newspaper ads to be published. The Technical Department is responsible for preparing layout of the newspaper. In the News-Making Department the children heard about the journalists’ secrets of a good interview allowing writing adequate comments.

“The profession of a journalist, as any other profession, has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that a journalist, due to his or her field of work, is always in the swim of what’s happening in the world, and often knows many influential people. But there are also certain disadvantages… Journalists are often rare guests in their own homes as they are constantly on business trips. Besides, such people usually have very few real friends but many foes. They bear a burden of responsibility for finding a reliable source of information as well as presenting adequate comments”, - told the children Natalia Zakharova.

Later on the future students visited the Proofreading Department, where editors correct any errors which journalists make using a red pen, resembling school teachers. The designers making illustrations to the Children’s Column of the newspaper also work here.

An important role in material presentation belongs to photographs. That is why the high-school students went to the next Department where a system administrator works together with a photographer. Here all the pictures accompanying any material go through preliminary analysis, processing and only then are passed to be printed. All this was really interesting!

“Generally speaking, in today’s world no individual can become successful without a proactive approach to life and constant self-improvement. That is why, whatever happens, any person should be able to find the information he or she needs and use this information to achieve his or her own goals. So, if there is a definite goal, a person can put all his or her energy and courage to achieve it. And all the dreams will come true, if you really want and believe it!” – this was the advice given to the future professionals by the employees of the Editorial House.

We would also like to join and we really want to believe that wide spread lack of desire or ability to build a career in one's chosen profession will go down due to such tours to our local enterprises and companies. And we hope that many, if not all, boys and girls will find their niche in the society and will use their potential in the field of their interest they will choose after high school.

The "Happy Child" Foundation would like to say thank you to the staff of Subbota Plus newspaper. Special thanks go to:

Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Bogdan Vasilenko;

Correspondent of the newspaper, Natalia Zakharova.

You can also help children see the world by supporting the tourist program of the Foundation. You can bring food products useful in hiking trips (cereals, tinned products) or make a donation in a way most convenient to you.

Representatives of the Klubok Project will be happy to answer any questions you might have.