The article deals with the issues of professional motivation of young officers. The concepts of motivation and professionalism are clarified, taking into account the professional and personal characteristics of the research subject. The functions of professionalism in the structure of the officer's personality is revealed. The characteristic of professional motivation is given, the components of its structure are revealed.

The article shows the results of comparing the personal characteristics of young officers and people who do not work in the military sphere, civilian profession of the same age, i.e. indicators of motivation, self-actualization and resilience. For this purpose, the following methods were used: "Dominant motivation", "Self-actualization" and "resilience"tests.

The results of the comparison showed that their professional motivation has a great influence on the activities of young professionals. In addition, only young professionals who have started their professional life with a certain set of motives will be able to effectively carry out their professional activities, solve their professional tasks and successfully perform their functional duties.