Career of a Young Scientist in Europe: Post-Industrial Perspective

The article analyzes the role and influence of the information society in Europe on the dynamics of the early stage of the career of young European researchers in the paradigm of a post-industrial society and on the basis of sociocultural methodology. The main purpose of the study is to show that the European digital society does not pose only an unconditional challenge, but also a necessary background for the development of a research career, forming a request for new types of youth participation. The author suggests a vision of young European scientists as the "open science generation", correlating with the concept of open science widespread in the EU. Focusing on the study of the career of young scientists, the article addresses the current differences in the age structure of science in various European countries and makes a forecast of their evolution associated with a decrease in the importance of the vertical hierarchy of early stages of an academic career in the Old World. It is shown that while the openness of science aims at increasing egalitarianism, it is still far from achieving equal opportunities in the research process.