The specific objectives of this study were to examine: (1) social background factors which may be related to educational congruence; (2) the relationship between educational congruence and occupational congruence; (3) educational and occupational congruence as it related to occupational satisfaction; and (4) educational and occupational congruence as it related to educational satisfaction. Data were obtained from a longitudinal study of of 143 high school seniors from 8 rural high schools in Hamilton County and Story City, Iowa. The present thesis utilized data from an original study completed in 1948 and a follow-up study in 1967. Past research in occupational career decision-making was utilized to formulate a theoretical approach to examine the relationship between educational congruence and social background factors; the extent to which educational congruence functions in the service of occupational congruence; and the relationship of educational congruence to occupational congruence as it affects far-reaching outcomes of educational and occupational satisfaction. Two generalizations about education's relationship to occupation were tentatively submitted: (1) society has placed too much faith in the specific contribution of formal education to occupational competence; and (2) post high school education has not made the knowledge it imparts useful to students who seek both occupational and personal satisfaction. (KM)