This study uses two case studies of occupations: one female-dominated and the other male-dominated. These urban jobs are largely seen as entry-level jobs by the youth who are involved in them. The work is informal, inheres many risks and barely provides subsistence. The youth in question usually come from one of the less-developed five northern regions in the country. Women working in the first occupation studied here are head porters (kayayei), and in the second occupation men work as metal scrap dealers.