摘要:Debates continue to abound regarding the importance of having an educated, well-trained workforce that can effectively fill the technology-sophisticated jobs emerging in the South. No doubt, the ticket to a decent job continues to be tied to a college education. But, the reality is that not all adults are able to secure a post-secondary education. The question is what prospects exist for those individuals who become non-college bound? This study devotes attention to the plight of young adults in the South who graduated from high school in 1982 and who pursued no post-secondary education of any type over the subsequent ten year period. Soecial focus is given to their job experiences over time, documenting the extent to which their occupational positions in the local labor market improved or deteriorated over the course of ten years. Our results reveal that serious challenges will plague those individuals who enter the workforce with no formal education beyond high school