Career trajectory in high school dropouts

This study considers the career trajectories of high school dropouts, which has been given little attention to in the literature. Considering worker heterogeneity for individuals who do not complete high school, we estimate possible career trajectories and investigate the traits related with the decision to drop out. Using latent class growth analysis, three kinds of career trajectories are identified: dead-end, stepping-stone, and advancing careers. Although the majority of dropouts are in the dead-end careers, about 30% are in the process of escaping low-status jobs through acquiring work experience. Individual traits, such as gender, race, and cognitive ability, as well as home computer access are significantly related to the different types of career trajectories. (C) 2013 Western Social Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.