Declining birth rates in the 1960s have caused some to forecast shortages of new scientists and engineers by the end of this decade. Students in national longitudinal studies begun in 1972 and 1980 were compared, and it was concluded that a decline in the supply of engineers and scientists is unlikely. (Author/MLW)

In light of the many changes of the past 20 years, it may be expected that plans of high school seniors for further education may have also changed, along with the kinds of jobs they expect to have and the things they regard as important. These questions are examined through data from the National Longitudinal Study of 1972 (NLS) and the National…