A study was conducted to update the existing Career Interest Characterizing (CIC) instrument in terms of current career choices of students and to implement the survey instrument in the Texas secondary school counseling programs. The CIC instrument defines career interests of secondary school students and yields information of value in counseling students, and in guiding, planning, controlling, and financing career training programs at the secondary and postsecondary levels. The project examined two hypotheses relative to significant differences between occupational choices and postsecondary plans for 1972 versus 1976. The hypotheses concerned whether or not the population distribution of high school students' postsecondary plans and occupational choices were the same for those two years. Overall significant differences for the two periods were found, but the ranking of some categories of occupational choices and postsecondary plans remained essentially the same. Data relating to factors influencing occupational choices made by students indicated that parents or relatives have the greatest impact and school administrators have the least impact. It was concluded that when results from the career interest survey are used in concert with manpower requirements, the collective data should be helpful in planning and decision making in meeting the state's challenge of providing jobs and education. (A listing of school districts in the survey and some of the survey results are appended.) (TA)