As a psychologist and career counselor, I have worked with thousands of people over the years who are choosing or changing careers, and who are wondering whether they would really like to be in a particular career. Based on this experience, I believe that most people who want to go into a career they think they’d like do not really explore the questions they need to in order to be sure that it’s the right career for them.

Here is a list of 20 questions to find answers to before concluding that a career you think you’d like is really right for you, followed by 9 sources of information for answering these questions:

Questions:1. In general, why do you think you’d “like” this career?2. Why is going into this career important to you? What values, needs, and goals does it satisfy?3. What do you actually know about this career?4. Do you have any direct experience in this career? Have you had any jobs or volunteer experiences?5. Have you talked to people who are in this career?6. Have you done any reading on the career?7. What are the opportunities? What kinds of money can you make in this field, and where are the openings?8. What would your typical day be like in this career?9. What are the drawbacks, disadvantages, and roadblocks of this career?10. Do your interests match the interests of others in this career?11. Do you have the aptitudes, skills, and abilities to be successful in this career?12. Do you have the education or training to get into this career?13. Do you have the personality characteristics that will make you successful in the new career?14. Do you have the motivation and energy to follow through and do what you would need to do to get into the new career?15. What are your “transferable” skills? That is, what skills or knowledge do you now have that you can use in the new career?16. What skills or knowledge do you have that would not only be transferable, but that would also be a unique advantage in the new career? 17. What will it take to get into the new career? What kind of additional training, education, or experience would you need?18. Have you developed a specific plan, including timetables and specific goals to be accomplished?19. Do you have a network of support from family, friends, co-workers, or significant others?20. Having answered all of the above questions, do you still “like” the career and think it’s a good idea to get into it, and why?

I think you’ll find that there are many resources you can use to help you answer the above questions. Among them:1. Reading. This would include not only the hundreds of books and pamphlets on careers and career choice, but also publications describing careers (such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the U.S. Department of Labor and available on the Internet).2. Practical experience. Not only is it possible to get a full-time or part-time job, but one can also volunteer at an organization or a company a couple of hours a week, just to get exposure to the area. Usually, any organization is glad to have this kind of help (unless they think you’re an investigative reporter from some newspaper or TV program).3. Job search counseling. Anyone changing career directions needs a highly competitive job search strategy. This should include resume, cover letter, and job interviewing strategies that are specific to your situation. This may also include advice on researching the job market.4. A thorough self-assessment. This is not an assessment BY yourself, but an assessment OF yourself. A good career counselor can provide this kind of assessment, which would include counseling and testing.5. Career tests. In general, tests divide into three categories: 1) aptitude, ability, and skills tests, 2) career interest tests, and 3) personality and motivational tests that focus on characteristics related to the career world.6. Career coaching. Guided discussions with an expert can help you to clarify your goals, strategies, and commitment.7. Education and training. Before you launch full-time into a degree program, it is possible to take one course, or a seminar, or a workshop, or a brief certificate program in the new career.8. Networking. There are many job clubs and career resource centers available to explore new careers. Schools, career counselors, and other professionals can usually give you information on these resources. 9. Informational interviewing. It’s usually not a good idea to go into a career if you haven’t talked to at least a few people who are already in it and can give you the lowdown. You can also talk to people in academic and training programs.

Armed with all of this information and all of these insights, you should now be in a better position to judge whether taking the next step in this new career area makes sense for you.

Every time the economy expands or dips, executives who are tired, bored, displaced, or in search of above-market earnings come out of the barn in droves looking for “greener pastures”. They frequently assume that their experiences running a “real” company qualify them to provide insight and expertise as a consultant to other companies. Meanwhile, consultants looking for financial stability have thoughts of going corporate. Consultants are often confident of their abilities to lead organizations. Who could be better qualified than them to run a company from the inside? After all, they have been the guiding hand for many companies strategic, financial and technology direction. They have been trusted counsel for their top executives. Unfortunately, grazing in the other “greener” pasture is more complicated that it seems on the surface.What Life as a Consultant is LikeThe defining characteristics of the consulting environment are remarkably similar from firm to firm, regardless of whether it is a large global firm or a small local firm. First and foremost, at a senior level, success is based on the generation of sales revenue. Dollars equal power.As a consultant, engagements are driven by thought leadership and strategy. Your clients typically have a list of problems that need to be solved — and the list changes frequently. Corporate decision-makers assure that consultants have special access to people and resources. After all, they have already or will shortly write a very large check for their services.From a delivery perspective, work is often standardized and methodology-based. Engagements have a beginning, an end, and a defined scope. Often little or no responsibility for implementation or outcomes is specified. But, there are some exceptions. Certain contractual arrangements have shared responsibility for results and that is reflected in the fee. Secondly, the consultant handles implementation of a system or process. However, once it is “done,” the consultant still leaves and doesn’t have to live with the consequences. Supervision and personnel responsibility is usually limited to performance on the project by the team members.Should You Be a Consultant?* Are you energized by smart people doing interesting work?* Do you enjoy a continuously shifting landscape of new problems to solve?* Are you easily bored?* Do you like providing “advice and counsel” with little responsibility for operational activities or outcomes?* Is selling fun? Do you like the thrill of the chase?* Do you enjoy socializing and building a network of contacts?What Life as a Corporate Executive is LikeIn corporations, whether public or private, profitability and shareholder value are the bottom line. For most executives, success is based on contribution to operating results. Organizational leadership, from vision to planning through execution, drives performance. Decision-making and risk taking, with accountability for choices, is fundamental. Outcomes are everything. Activities are heavily implementation and results driven. Few projects are intellectually stimulating. Most of the work of the organization is continuous and predominantly operational. Much is policy and procedurally based. There is a broad distribution of people in a corporation, with a tendency to gather around the mean in intelligence, motivation and interest in their work. Comprehensive personnel management is required by line and most staff executives to maximize the contribution of all employees in the company.Should You Become a Corporate Executive?* Do you like being on the front lines, directing others, making choices?* Do you like to see things through to the end?* Do you gain personal satisfaction from positive, measurable results that you had a significant role in delivering?* Can you keep focus on the long-term while dealing with tactical and operational concerns?* Are you willing to stand behind your decisions and be accountable for and part of outcomes with continuing consequences?* As an insider, can you gain the respect of others for your business acumen?* Are you energized by motivating and leading groups of people to successful achievement of common goals?* Do others follow you and support you?How to Align Yourself with the Career Choice You Make If you are a consultant and still think you are a candidate for a change to a corporation, consider whether you are most suited for a consulting-like role or for an operating leadership position. Your business acumen, facilitation ability, and communication skills are key skills that will be valuable in a corporate role. If you are an executive and still want to try your hand at consulting, consider whether you are most suited for a partner (translate that sales) role or for delivery management (translate that project or multiple projects). Your experience of making things work in the real world and your ability to negotiate complex organizations will be helpful in a consulting role. Remember, both consulting and executive roles have challenges and rewards. Neither is as easy as it looks from the outside, looking in. As long as you find the one that works for you, you will be where the grass is greenest.