Because of the fact that psychologists pay too little attention to the study of man's real-life working activities-preferring to study them on laboratory-experimental models-our science is not yet able to equip applied psychologists and teachers with the information needed for adequate realization of the reform of the general and vocational school. Principal difficulties and obstacles (affective, cognitive, organizational) in the path of the psychological study of the real-life work as well as ways to overcome them are described. Some psychological features of man's work are also considered such as anticipation of socially valuable outcomes, knowledge of the necessity to achieve a socially-fixed goal, possession of the means of work, knowledge of explicit and implicit interpersonal relations in the sphere of production. It is underlined that work must not be regarded merely as production of material values, but also as production of information and behavior, which can be of use in serving other people, and of efforts which bring order into social processes.