A study examined the career aspirations of disadvantaged students enrolled in vocational education programs. During the first phase of the study, the researchers reviewed the literature pertaining to the phenomenon of job aspirations as it pertains to or explains the disproportionate enrollment of disadvantaged students in low-level programs. Next, data were collected from 2,348 students from 29 secondary and postsecondary vocational and technical schools, and telephone interviews were conducted with 201 parents. These data pointed to four potential barriers to enrollment in high-level programs--parental influence, the prestige value of a student's occupational environment, the nature of the student's personal development, and sources of information for making educational choices. The following conclusions emerged from the study: the negative effects of disadvantagement are rooted in the experiences of students before they pursue vocational programs; the negative effects of disadvantagement are reinforced by the educational system; and recruitment procedures sometimes alienate disadvantaged clients. (Appendixes to this report include the survey instrument, descriptions of the data collection methods used during the study, and responses to 10 open-ended questions included on the survey instrument.) (MN)