The article reports on the results of research on the social representations that high school students develop about school and work. It can be seen that these young people deposit in education and the school their sole hope for acquiring better recognized social status and better jobs, frequently wanting to continue their studies. Representations about work reveal themselves to be quite idealized, indicating the lack of knowledge of many of the structural and conjunctural determinants in social and work relations. The results obtained are analyzed in such a way as to contribute to reflections on the implantation of the present curricular reform at this level of schooling in Brazil.
