This master's thesis aims to identify the argumentation strategies which affect the migration decisions of highly educated young islanders in the context of their possible employment, as well as their satisfaction with the quality of life on the island. In addition, the thesis presents the advantages and disadvantages of living on the island, with a reflection on the island’s development and the preservation of its young population. The research was conducted through the semi-structured interview method. It included eight highly educated interlocutors between 25 and 29 years of age, all originating from the Jelsa municipality on the island of Hvar. The results indicate that their decisions on leaving or staying on the island are mostly affected by the employment possibilities and the amount of social and cultural programmes. The interlocutors who upon the end of their studies have returned to the island emphasize the possibility of working in one’s profession as the crucial reason for such a decision; on the other hand, the interlocutors who have decided to leave the island perceive the urban environment as a place which offers a wider range of possibilities, both business and sociallywise.