At the age of 14, Whitney M. Young, Jr., enrolled at Kentucky State College. He went on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to earn a degree in electrical engineering, received during World War II. Even with his degree, the best job he could find was that of a road construction worker. After the war, he earned a master's degree in social work, taught at several schools, and later became dean of the Graduate School of Social Work at Atlanta University. In 1961 he was named to head the National Urban League, the function of which was to provide assistance to migrating African Americans seeking a better life in cities. Under Young's leadership, the Urban League became a powerful institution.