The relevance of the study is caused by the necessity to form a plan for the development of secondary vocational education that provides training of the most popular and promising specialties and working professions in accordance with international standards and advanced technologies on the basis of the leading professional educational organizations. The goal of this article is to identify the main motives and meanings of applicants' choices of popular and prospective specialties of secondary vocational education and working professions during the psychological, pedagogical and sociological research to paint a sociological portrait of students of vocational education and specialties from the TOP-50 list. The goals of the research are to carry out a comparative analysis of: 1) professional self-determination, 2) value orientations, 3) attitudes toward the teaching and upbringing, 4) life plans of applicants and students. The leading method in investigating this problem is the method of questioning. In our study we surveyed the applicants and students of specialties from the TOP-50 list. Results of the research: In order to study certain aspects of the sociological portrait of students through the method of questioning of students from the TOP-50 specialties we compiled a sociological questionnaire that included four blocks. The questionnaire for students included 28 questions and the questionnaire for applicants included 33 open and closed questions with the use of different scales with the possibility of selecting several of the listed options and the fields for answers. The results of the questioning of applicants and students are presented; the similarities and differences of the key motives, life plans, values of applicants and students who have chosen perspective professions of secondary vocational education are identified and summarized.