This analysis of entry into the labor force by American men between the ages of 30 and 39 was based on a set of about 1,600 retrospective life history interviews, approximately half from whites and half from blacks. At the time of entry the mean level of whites' education was higher than that of blacks and this was translated into jobs with higher prestige for the whites. When education was held constant there was little difference between the first job wages of whites and blacks. The only race differences at this early point were among men with very high levels of education, where whites had significantly better jobs. The social class of a respondent's family strongly influenced his level of education but did not affect the jobs he obtained. In the 8 years after entry, the gap between whites and blacks spread to the lower levels of education. The tasks men performed were largely based on their levels of education, but their wages came increasingly to be dependent on experiential factors, so men with limited amounts of education could experience considerable wage mobility. The first jobs obtained after entry exerted a unique and continuing influence on later occupational mobility. (Author)