Escolha profissional: dilemas e desafios presentes na escolha dos estudantes de curso de graduação em Serviço Social na cidade de São Paulo

Abstract

The objective in this thesis is to discuss factors and motivations that lead the students matriculated in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in São Paulo City to choose bachelor’s degree in Social Work. This is a privileged moment because the process of professional choice is a decision that brings deep transformations in social and professional relationships and in the life course. In Brazilian Social Work, the historical characteristics highlight the professional choice related to the perspective of help, vocation and religion. In order to identify and to analyze if these aspects correspond to the contemporary scenario, the research was carried out based on bibliographic search and through a survey questionnaire, with 54 questions, applied from March 2020 to January 2021. The participants of the study were 155 students from the first to the ninth semester of the undergraduate course on Social Work, mainly in presential modality, enrolled in nine private; a private community entity located in São Paulo city; and a federal public institution, located in Santos/SP, because there is not a public Social Work course in São Paulo city. The survey results point that Social Work students are, predominantly, women, student-workers, who make their professional choices influenced by the limitations and possibilities that their social, cultural, and economic conditions allow them. Coming from the lower classes, they access College Education based on criteria related to the amount of tuition fees and the institution quality, with the perspective that higher education is the alternative to change life quality and to conquer professional improvement. The company´s requirement is the most relevant factor in professional choice. To achieve success in maintaining or getting a job in this area, Social Work students look for ways to finish their studies properly, even in the face of everyday adversities, such as long journeys; physical and emotional difficulties; prejudices; in addition to the high costs of tuition. The sources of information about Higher Education in Brazil used were as follow: the Map of Private Higher Education; the Synopsis of Reports of the National Institute of Studies and Educational Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep)/ National Student Performance Exam (Enade); and data released by the Education Ministry (MEC). This study is a contribution to the history of Brazilian Social Work, as it shows indicators, analysis, and relevant information for the training process of the next generation of Social Workers