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This paper presents partial advances in the subject matter of vocational training of an investigation in progress; the objective is to analyze the importance of high school education in the life of a group of graduates in a community high school in Oaxaca. Based on a qualitative methodology with an ethnographic approach, we analyzed interviews with graduates and field research notes. The graduates' points of view are organized in two aspects: those who stay in their community and those who migrate to the city. For the first, high school has allowed them to develop a better agricultural job. Some are intermediaries of government programs, and they carry out activities with the local government; others start or work in a local business. Their economic status forces them to enroll in more than one job at a time. Those who migrate to the city mention that high school helps them perform a less physically demanding job. However, graduates decide to work in cleaning or building activities, because they can earn a better income. The conclusions discuss the results to reflect on vocational training offered to rural populations through the formal education system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]