Work culture of student youth: from values to the formation of work behavior strategies

This article presents the results of an empirical study of work culture among students in Tyumen Region. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study consists of value- based and sociocultural approaches that view work culture as a system of norms, values, and meanings constructed through the interaction of institutional models and the subjective expectations of young people, which determine their attitudes to work and shape their behavioral strategies. The empirical data were obtained through a formalized survey (n = 221) and two focus groups (N = 2), conducted from April to June 2026 among students of higher education institutions and colleges in the Tyumen Region. The study identifies an individualistic, resource-centered model of life priorities among student youth. This model prioritizes physical and mental well-being alongside self-realization. Motivational structure of career choice is characterized by a combination of substantive focus (interest in the activities, professional development) and instrumental expectations (decent income, career advancement). A content analysis of associative series reveals an ambivalence in collective perceptions of work, combining positive selfcharacteristics (responsibility, diligence) with critical assessments (laziness, irresponsibility). This reflects an internal heterogeneity of the value field of the study group. Based on an analysis of behavioral indicators (salary expectations, willingness to work overtime, spatial mobility, factors leading to dismissal), the authors propose a typology of work strategies. This typology includes strategic and involuntary unemployment, targeted, situational, and precarious employment, professional precarity, and entrepreneurial orientations.The proposed typology of work strategies reflects a subjective synthesis of societal expectations and individual life plans among youth. The study shows that most career trajectories are based on a short-term planning horizon and an adaptive, pragmatic behavior pattern. Hiring remains the primary strategy, while entrepreneurial intentions are often declarative and associated with high salary expectations focused on the high-income market segments of the labor market. The study's results contribute to the sociology of culture by clarifying how work behavior develops among students and how values and social norms influence their employment choices. The identified dynamics indicate the emergence of a new work culture, in which instrumental rationality coexists with value-based and rational guidelines of justice, dignity, and self-realization.

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