Dimensions of threshold work experience for high school graduates and dropouts: A factor analysis

Data on 19 threshold work experience variables were obtained by interview from 183 high school graduates and 90 dropouts $\text{1}\text{1}\text{2}$ years after leaving school. Factor analyses of these data showed strikingly similar factor structures for both groups. Seven variables were found to represent the factor dimensions adequately: Number of Jobs Held; Average Tenure in Weeks, Past Jobs; Average Number of Weeks to Find Jobs; Average Hours Worked Weekly; Average Weekly Pay, Past Jobs; Supervisor Rating, Present Level of Performance; and Employment Status. These variables, representing “objective success” were found to correlate only slightly with job satisfaction variables (Average Job Satisfaction, Past Jobs; Job Satisfaction, Present Job), thereby supporting the conceptualization of job satisfactoriness and job satisfaction as relatively independent sets of variables.