This article presents an analysis of employment-seeking methods and how they are affected by an insertion-assistance measure for young Quebecers who dropped out of secondary and post-secondary studies. It also follows the professional paths of these young people four or five years after they left the school system without a diploma. It reveals the similarities and differences in their professional paths after dropping out of school, and shows that insertion and the different ways that young people enter the labour market can be seen as adaptation strategies to deal with the growing complexity of the relationship between training and employment. The article uses the results of a retrospective-type study by a team of researchers from the Observatory of Youth and Society, which followed 98 young people who did not obtain diplomas from the high schools or colleges they attended.