مسیر شغلی در ترک تحصیل بالا

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.

Every year, 1.2 million students in the United States leave high school without a diploma (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011). Dropping out of school not only limits one's life-time opportunities, it also creates a social cost. Legislation and social programs have been implemented to keep kids in school and increase their employment opportunities (Campolieti et al., 2010 and Kuenzi, 2007). However, later life opportunities for high school dropouts remain meager, and many become welfare recipients (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2011, Danziger et al., 1999 and Schwartz, 1995). Existing studies assume a homogenous population of high school dropouts; however, this population is likely heterogeneous (Brown, 1982, Cluck et al., 1998 and Waldinger and Lichter, 2003). However, one fact that cannot be overlooked is that not every high school dropout ends up in a dead-end job. Kusmin and Gibbs (2000) demonstrate that one fifth of initial entry jobs held by less-educated workers can lead to subsequent better paying jobs, implying that some dropouts acquire jobs that require at least a high school diploma or beyond; hence, some earn enough money to support themselves without public assistance. Kusmin and Gibbs (2000) identify initial jobs that move less-educated workers up occupation ladders into better paying jobs. However, few studies attempt to identify career trajectories of US high school dropouts, and it is important to identify the occupational trajectories of these less-educated workers if there is to be successful intervention strategies. Other dropouts located at the bottom of the occupational hierarchy require an occupational intervention that complements their low education levels to help them move into middle-level occupations. Moreover, finding the traits related to lower occupational career patterns better orients policies that create different opportunities for the status of dropouts. The aim of this study is, therefore, to identify how high school dropout career trajectories are distributed and what dropout characteristics contribute to the heterogeneous career trajectories.