The National Institute of Education supported a program of basic research studies dealing with career decision-making processes among high school and college students and the career experiences of youthful workers from 1976 through 1979. The 11 studies funded under this grants competition are diverse. Some examine the experiences of secondary students while in school; others consider how such experiences relate to students' postsecondary educational and work histories. More than half the projects focus on college students. Some of these are restricted to what happens to students in school, while others trace their work experiences after graduation. The studies also trace the decision-making processes of students of different races, backgrounds, and both sexes. A review of the studies concluded the following: (1) educational attainment, educational experiences, and educational decision-making all matter a great deal; (2) it cannot be assumed that the actual course of career decision making approximates at all the idealized models so prominent in the literature; (3) it also should not be assumed that all that is required for effective career planning is to get youth to act like the future-oriented rational actors implied in such models--having well-conceived goals no doubt is important, but youth also have to be prepared for the realities of the world; (4) optimizing often involves trading off competing values; (5) finally, many factors contribute to the different levels of occupational success experienced by men and women, blacks and whites, and youth from various backgrounds. (The 11 studies are synopsized and reviewed in the report.) (KC)