A series of analyses was performed to determine the factors encompassed in the term "job satisfaction" and the effect of high school vocational education courses on job satisfaction. Data were gathered from the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience, Youth Cohort, and the high school transcripts of a subsample of this panel. As identified in the data, job satisfaction consists of four relatively independent forms: (1) satisfaction with personal on-the-job development; (2) satisfaction with physical working conditions; (3) satisfaction with job rewards (including pay, job security, and chances for advancement); and (4) satisfaction with human interactions. Separate analyses were conducted with each of these four factors and the study's objectives. Some of the results were that satisfaction with personal on-the-job development was found principally among those working in smaller firms and crafts or in farming and clerical occupations. Satisfaction with working conditions was primarily associated with specific occupations (sales and clerical) and with specific job characteristics (smaller firms and regular work hours.) Satisfaction with job rewards was explained most consistently by occupations, while satisfaction with the human interactions on the job was associated most with the individual's self-esteem and with working in small firms. No resolution was made of the overall question of the influence of vocational education on job satisfaction. Policy implications of the study center on needed support for improved assessment of the effects of vocational education, improved career counseling, increased opportunities for work experience, and support for further research. (KC)