American agriculture is seriously threatened by growing shortages of highly qualified scientists, managers, and technical professionals. This paper examines the work outcomes of agricultural college alumni who were previously surveyed as students in 1977. Questionnaires were completed by 1,917 graduates in agricultural majors at 1862 and 1890 land-grant colleges of agriculture. Findings revealed significant differences in complexity of tasks on the first full-time job between agribusiness and non-agribusiness job holders. Compared to non-agribusiness job holders, agribusiness job holders were more likely to be involved in more complex data- or people-related tasks, but less complex things-related tasks. On later jobs, these entry-level differences virtually disappeared. Gender (male) and academic major (agribusiness or applied engineering) were the strongest predictors of holding an agribusiness job, followed by the state's percentage of rural farm residents. Comparison of results with those of the 1977 study suggests that plans and aspirations for a particular occupation do not increase the probability of entering a particular career upon graduation from college. This report contains 23 references. (SV)