The project 'Pathways to the Future' has accompanied young people after they accomplished the "Neue Mittelschule" in Vienna at the age of 14 or 15. It combined a qualitative and a quantitative panel study in a mixed-methods approach. The research findings show a detailed picture of a crucial period in which the course is being set for further life. The contributions to the volume deal in particular with educational and occupational aims, actual educational histories and occupational choices, identity and future perspectives as well as spaces for leisure activities. The research perspective combines the analysis of structural conditions such as social inequality with a focus on individual agency.