Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate whether misaligned or uncertain ambitions in adolescence influence the process of socioeconomic attainment. Methods. Using 34 years of longitudinal data from the British Cohort Study (BCS70), we considered whether youth with (1) misaligned ambitions (i.e., those who either over-or underestimate the level of education required for their desired occupation), (2) both low occupational aspirations and educational expectations (low-aligned ambitions), and (3) uncertainty with regard to their future occupations (uncertain ambitions) at age 16 experienced more unemployment spells, lower educational attainment, and lower hourly wages in adulthood compared to youth with high occupational aspirations and educational expectations (high-aligned ambitions). Results. Youth who hold misaligned or uncertain aspirations show long-term deficits in employment stability and educational attainment, which in turn leads to lower wage attainments at age 34. Conclusion. Misaligned and uncertain ambitions in adolescence compromise the construction of life paths and the realization of long-term educational and occupational goals.Research has long shown that ambitious teenagers have higher educational achievement, occupational prestige, and wage attainments in adulthood than youth whose educational and career aspirations are low (Sewell and Hauser, 1975). These findings seem encouraging considering that the proportion of youths in the United Kingdom (and in and other developed nations) aspiring toward graduate/professional degrees and professional occupations that require such qualifications has increased over time (Reynolds et al., 2006;Schoon, 2009;Strand, 2007). Yet despite this recent growth in highly ambitious young people, scholars have voiced concern that some youths are not Social Science Quarterly sure of the schooling necessary to achieve these ambitious career goals (Rosenbaum, 2001;Schneider and Stevenson, 1999;Staff et al., 2010). In particular, Schneider and Stevenson's (1999) theoretical framework notes the importance that aligned ambitions-educational expectations commensurate with occupational aspiration-have in constructing life paths and realizing educational and occupational goals. Accordingly, in comparison to youth with educational and career aspirations that are aligned and certain, youth with misaligned or uncertain ambitions are hypothesized to experience long-term socioeconomic deficits, such as prolonged schooling without the completion of a postsecondary degree, greater work instability, and lower earnings in adulthood.In this study, we examine the long-term socioeconomic consequences that misaligned and uncertain ambitions during adolescence have on work instability, educational attainment, and wages during adulthood using the British Cohort Study (BCS70). While the United Kingdom provides a context similar to the United States-where youths' ambitions are increasing (Strand, 2007;Schoon, 2009) and clear linkages from school to work are often lacking (Scho...