Vocational High School Graduates’ Career Choices and First Job Achievements

Abstract

This study examines the factors that affect vocational high school graduates" career choices and job achievements using data from the Korea Education and Employment Panel. Results show that, first, reasons for entering vocational high school affect vocational high school graduates" decision to attend junior college instead of getting a job, and high school achievements, household income, and parents" education levels affect high school graduates" attending four-year colleges instead of getting a job. Compared to those who enter vocational high school because they want to get a job or because they like vocational high school, those who enter vocational high school because their middle school grades are low or because they plan to enter college are more likely to enter college than they are likely to get a job. The higher one"s high school grades, household income, and parents" education levels, the higher the probability of going to a four-year college instead of getting a job. Second, wage levels of college graduates are higher than those of vocational high school graduates, but major matching of college graduates is lower and skill matching of a four-year college graduates is lower than that of vocational high school graduates. There are no differences between workplace satisfaction, probability of self-improvement, and education matching of four-year college graduates and those of vocational high school graduates. These results imply that, on one hand, college graduates earn higher wages, the most important objective for individual employees, but on the other hand, they show neither higher subjective job achievements nor higher job achievements on a social dimension than do vocational high school graduates.