In 2005, I graduated from the school and entered the sociology department of the State University of the Humanities at the Russian Academy of Sciences, whose dean was the legendary Vladimir Aleksandrovich Yadov. At the interview after passing the entrance exams, one of the council members asked me if I knew what “Capital” is. I replied that it was Karl Marx’s work, and I hesitated a little. Then Vladimir Alexandrovich asked his colleagues not to “torment the child” with such questions, but it is better to learn from me what sociology is and why I chose this science for studying.
My path to the profession, as I now see it, was determined by the way of thinking and the meeting with the scientific adviser. I did not dream to become a sociologist, but I always understood that I have more abilities for humanitarian directions, than natural or technical ones. A year before I began, I began to try on potential specialties and settled on psychology and sociology. The latter, as it seemed to me, opens up wider prospects, especially since it is closely related to psychology. My family supported my choice, and I went to the preparatory courses.
During the first two years of training, I did not yet have a clear understanding of how I can apply the knowledge and skills I received in the university, but in the third year I accidentally got to the seminar for my future scientific leader, Oleg Nikolaevich Yanitsky, and this finally determined the direction in the profession. Learning has become more conscious and practice-oriented. Working in Oleg Nikolaevich’s team, interested in instilling in their students a love for the profession and transferring their unique experience and approach to work, expected participation in research projects and seminars, independent analysis of sources, translations, presentations at scientific conferences, communication with older colleagues and so on. Unfortunately, not all students coped equally well with the learning process, so some students tried to cheat and buy essay papers, but fortunately, with sociology they did not work out and very soon they left our university. All this enthralled me and logically led to entering postgraduate studies and defending my Ph.D. thesis. As a result, the skills obtained make it possible to work in science and apply them in practice. At first I studied the networks of ecological movement, and now my scientific interests include the development of the volunteer movement in Russia and the information and communication consequences of globalization.
And most importantly, in my opinion, that the profession of a sociologist assumes constant personal development, because it is impossible to be a good specialist, not reading the work of colleagues, not mastering new programs and methods, without trying to analyze the processes taking place in society.