Difficulties in the Young Adults’ Professional Career

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyse difficulties in professional functioning experienced by young people. In the article the author makes a secondary analysis of quantitative and qualitative research on the broadly understood socio-professional functioning of students of social sciences and humanities, which she has been conducting since 2004. The research results showed that, on the one hand, the difficulties experienced by young people are directly related to the specificity of the developmental period they are going through and will probably be overcome as they mature in adulthood. On the other hand, some of the difficulties strictly connected with functioning at work are related to the incomplete knowledge on the part of young people as to which practices in the workplace can be considered acceptable and which can be described as abusive or even pathological. The article ends with recommendations for practical actions aimed at developing students’ competence in coping with adversities at work.