As education continues to succumb to deficits in budgets and increasingly high levels of student performance to meet the federal and state mandates, the quest to sustain and retain successful principals is imperative. The National Association of School Boards (1999) portrays effective principals as "linchpins" of school improvement and the "gatekeepers" of effective school reform (Calwelti, 1999). This study seeks to find what attracts principals to the job of the principalship through the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1997). This study surveyed 600 principals in California from Elementary, Middle and High School. 320 principals responded, yielding 162 valid surveys. This present study hypothesized that the overall JSS job satisfaction score and subscale scores (i.e., pay, working conditions, Fringe Benefits) will be differentially correlated with years of administrative Experience as a Principal, and with Location of school (i.e., Rural, Urban and Suburban). Specifically, this study hypothesized that the correlations for gender will differ for each subscale and that more experienced principals and less experienced principals will attribute different correlates for job satisfaction. Simple statistics were initially calculated such as mean, variance, and standard deviation. From this basic statistics the variance was considered as criteria for establishing the ranges for Age, and Experience that minimized the group variance. The groups by gender and by location were form. The initial finding found that the average response for all variables under analysis yield on the range of 3 to 5, which is considered in the ambivalence zone. Differences between their means were calculated and no preliminary significant difference was found. On further analysis, several ANOVAS were run and none of the null hypothesis was rejected. The dichotomy between the various responsibilities and leadership skills for school principals leaves current administrators having to constantly evolve with their talents, individual needs and desire to succeed as the trends continue to change while being influenced by the changing economy (Rayfield, & Diamantes, 2003). This research supports a change in what administrators in the past have commonly identified as satisfaction correlations, and further inclusive study may reveal trends that identify specific factors relevant to the principalship. Superintendents, hiring panels and district personnel may continue to struggle to attract and sustain principals as the budgetary constraints and on-going pressure for achievement continues to leave a trail of ambivalent satisfaction correlates of satisfaction for the job of the principal. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]