SEVERAL GROUPS OF EDUCATORS AND EX-EDUCATORS WERE IDENTIFIED AND COMPARED WITH RESPECT TO APTITUDE VARIABLES AND CERTAIN REACTIONS TO THE JOB OF TEACHING. A SPECIAL QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO THE STUDY SAMPLE OF APPROXIMATELY 660 CLASSROOM TEACHERS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, COLLEGE TEACHERS, EX-SCHOOL TEACHERS, AND EX-COLLEGE TEACHERS--ALL OF WHOM HAD TAKEN A COMMON BATTERY OF APTITUDE TESTS IN THE U.S. ARMY AIR FORCE DURING WORLD WAR II. IT WAS FOUND THAT THOSE WHO HAD LEFT TEACHING HAD BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY SUPERIOR TO THOSE WHO WERE STILL CLASSROOM TEACHERS ON TESTS OF READING COMPREHENSION, ARITHMETIC REASONING, AND MATHEMATICS. THERE WERE SIMILAR DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THOSE WHO HAD LEFT AND THOSE WHO HAD REMAINED IN COLLEGE TEACHING. THE HIGHER ABILITY OF THE NONTEACHERS WAS PARALLELED BY HIGHER INCOME. THE PRIMARY DISSATISFACTION IN TEACHING IN BOTH GROUPS WAS WITH PAY INCOME. OTHER FOCAL POINTS OF CONCERN WERE INADEQUATE STATUS, DUTIES OTHER THAN TEACHING, AND LACK OF INTEREST BY PUPILS. THE GENERAL PATTERN OF CONCERNS AND SATISFACTIONS IN TEACHING WAS MUCH THE SAME FOR BOTH GROUPS, AND THESE OPINIONS WERE APPARENTLY NOT RELATED TO INTELLECTUAL ABILITY AS INDICATED BY THE WORLD WAR II TEST RESULTS. (JH)