The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of three Texas high school principals regarding their first-year of leadership involving Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. A narrative non-fiction methodology was used to present the participants' stories and perceptions of their lived experiences. The three participants, principals who began their head high school principalship between 2008 and 2011, were selected from the Texas Region IV and VII Education Service Center areas using snowball sampling. Data were collected through interviews, tape recordings, observations, documents, field notes, journaling, and transcription. The participants' stories were constructed using narrative analysis and a paradigmatic analysis complemented and strengthened the study by illuminating common themes among all participants' stories. Four salient factors emerged from the analysis of narratives: developing human resources, lacking knowledge, feeling overwhelmed, and playing politics. The findings of this study also suggest first-year principals must have general principal leadership knowledge as well as knowledge specific to CTE leadership in order to fulfill the immediate responsibilities encountered upon entering a high school principalship. [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.]