Using Social Media Resources to Build Young People's Professional Futures

Abstract

Young people are exploring alternatives, informing themselves and exchanging impressions among themselves, in order to finalise their career choices. An active means of information is using social media resources, especially by joining social networking groups to discuss issues related to learning, choosing universities, helping by providing study materials or sharing learning practices for baccalaureate or college admission, etc. I will present, as a case study, an active Facebook group. The investigation will aim to explore a set of dimensions such as: young people's topics of interest, career visions, expectations after graduation from university (where they can work after graduation), forms of support among young people on learning and preparation for the transition from high school to university, etc. We are witnessing a pattern of informal education taking place within generations of young people at the stage of choosing a professional field. The approach will be both qualitative and the applied research method will be case study. The novelty of the topic is to show that young people use social media to inform themselves and crystallise career options, thus using technological resources constructively. Time spent on the internet is valued for life planning and not just for entertainment.