Data drawn from the Sophomore Cohort of the High School and Beyond study, also known as the Class of 1982 data, were studied to provide baseline data on the early careers of noncollege-bound (NCB) men. The analysis used data primarily from two post-high school interviews in 1984 and 1986. This report also focuses on restaurant employment, an important source of jobs for young workers. Findings indicated that NCB men experienced fairly high turnover and a substantial amount of time without work. As youths became more firmly attached to the labor market, employment grew rapidly. Not only were NCB men more likely to be employed 4 years after high school, they were also more likely to move from part-time to full-time employment. Young NCB men were represented in all five broad occupation groups (white collar, high skill; white collar, low skill; blue collar, high skill; blue collar, low skill; service) and in all four broad industry categories (primary, manufacturing, trade and transportation, service). In general, the net effect of these youths' substantial sectoral mobility was to move them up the occupational ladder. Although only 4.3 percent of all first jobs were in high-skill, white-collar occupations, these jobs accounted for nearly 1 in 10 of all final jobs. The fraction of jobs in low-skill, blue-collar and service occupations each fell by nearly 7 percentage points. The wages paid to NCB men tended to be fairly low. Over the first 4 years of their careers, their real wages grow an average of 17 percent, or about 4 percent per year. One-eighth of all jobs held by NCB men during their early careers were restaurant jobs, and over one-fourth of all NCB men held at least one restaurant job during their first 4 years after high school. Most restaurant jobs were in service occupations and offered lower pay. Wage growth was lower in restaurant jobs but still averaged 6.4 percent. (YLB)