The study participants were 22 youthful offenders sentenced to a youth correctional center in Maine. The median grade level completed by the youths prior to sentence was the 8th. The Guidance Information System (GIS) marketed by Time Share Inc., was chosen as the system used by the project. GIS has six national files: occupational information, armed services occupational file, 2-year college file, 4-year college file, graduate school file, and financial aid file. The State files developed were the Maine occupational file and a vocational-technical school file. The subjects were asked for their immediate reactions to GIS and then their reactions after a 6-week interval. The majority of the sample felt very positive about their experience with GIS and perceived it as motivational and helpful. A minority (23 percent) did not enjoy the experience and felt it was not useful. The mature client probably had specific goals for using GIS and was therefore more positive about the system. About one-third of the students were unsure or undecided on some items, which may indicate a lack of educational and vocational goals. The system was perceived as a valuable tool in career decisionmaking and educational decisionmaking and less helpful with self-awareness issues. It was not helpful in developing job-seeking or job-keeping skills. The overall effectiveness of the system depends on the validity of the information program that the users enter to locate specific information, as well as the exposure that they have had to an organized program of career education. Recommendations are provided for potential users of GIS, along with data from the study and 10 references.