Factors Influencing Career Choice and Job Satisfaction in the Creative Industries of the Kaliningrad Region

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2026-2/28-42

Authors

Keywords:

creative industries, creative community, creative profession, work motivation, job satisfaction, Kaliningrad region

Abstract

The article considers the factors that determine career choice and job satisfaction among those working in the creative industries of the Kaliningrad region. The theoretical basis of the study was the concept of the creative class of R. Florida, which highlights the values of individuality, meritocracy, diversity and openness as key characteristics inherent to this social group. The empirical base comprised eight focus group interviews with 63 respondents representing different segments of the region's creative industries. The study identified five groups of factors that influence professional choice: orientation towards individuality and autonomy; the psychological need for creative self-realization; the influence of the social environment: family, friends, and teachers; the desire for publicity and social activity; and material motives. It was shown that, despite economic, infrastructural, and organizational difficulties, the majority of respondents plan to continue working in the creative field, which is associated with satisfaction with the specific conditions of work in the creative industries and the expectation of positive changes in their careers. The results of the study have both theoretical value for understanding the specifics of a creative class operating in a peripheral region and applied value for developing measures to support creative industries.

Author Biographies

  • Mikhail Krishtal, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University

    Krishtal, Mikhail I. — Ph.D. in Geography, Researcher, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (Kaliningrad, Russian Federation). E-mail: MKrishtal@kantiana.ru  ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6167-1025

  • Konstantin Prodantsov, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University

    Prodantsov, Konstantin S. — Junior Researcher, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (Kaliningrad, Russian Federation). E-mail: kprodantsov1@kantiana.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5186-0006

    For citation: Krishtal, M. I. and K. S. Prodantsov. 2026. Factors Influencing Career Choice and Job Satisfaction in the Creative Industries of the Kaliningrad Region. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 2: 28–42.

    Funding: The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No 25-18-20130, https://rscf.ru/project/25-18-20130/

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Published

11.06.2026

Issue

No. 2 (2026): Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik antropologii)

Section

Social and Cultural Capital of Creative Industries