Abstract
The existential dilemma of youth entering the job market has been widely recognized but little understood. Few efforts have been turned to assisting them in making the critical transition from school to work, which has such farreaching ramifications for later career adjustment. This paper addresses some of the theoretical and research issues which are central to furthering our knowledge of how and why neophyte workers establish themselves in the world-of-work. It proposes a comprehensive model of career development in early adulthood, suggests hypotheses to test it, and outlines ways in which it can be translated into operational terms for further research. Desiderata for the construction and validation of a Career Adjustment Inventory (CAI) are also ennumerated.