Mariya S. Doskovskaya

It is well-known that studying at a university is the first step in the professional identity development. Unfortunately, not all applicants enter higher education institutions guided by their own beliefs, desires and hopes at the moment. Students are often guided by their parents’ advice or wishes in choosing a university and a future profession. As a result, we can see that students begin to experience difficulties with professional self-determination. They cannot independently work out their career plans and do not see prospects for the successful development of their future professional career. As a result, this situation can lead to voluntary expulsion of a student from a higher educational institution. The authors of the study tried to find out how to help students at a higher educational institution create a career path based on portfolio for their future work and give them an active role in this project. The authors of the paper developed a scenario for a professional portfolio and implemented it into practice in order to increase the future graduates’ chances for their successful professional career. We consider the portfolio as a process, product and tool that promotes reflexivity, personal assessment and self-presentation. It has the properties of self-assessment, self-focus and self-preparation, which are very useful within the curriculum. The portfolio contributes to building the professional identity during the studies and allows students to implement mechanisms that will operate later when graduates integrate into the labor market. The theoretical significance of the research is in consideration of the student's portfolio as a reflexive analysis of future professional activity. In practice, this study ensures career guidance, as reflexivity is involved in building professional identity. The scenario of the professional portfolio was developed and applied in practice in Samara State University of Economics in 2022-2023.