Careful what job you wish for
By Andrea Kay
When Leonard Hollander first thought about becoming a chef, he was smart to realize that the glam and glitter on the Food Network was not a typical chef's day.
So to get a taste for what the career would be like, after working his day job as a software engineer he spent two nights a week at a restaurant chopping vegetables for free.
"I just wanted to understand the business," he said. "I asked questions nonstop so I could learn anything and everything. This was a humungous decision for me and I wanted to make sure it was the right one."
He discovered the hours were long and grueling. But even knowing reality, he says the experience "further cemented my love of food. No pun intended, but it whet my palate."
Unfortunately, most people don't do such thorough homework and end up disappointed. Which might be one reason careers like "chef" make it to the U.S. News & World Report list of most overrated careers. Others on the list include attorney, chiropractor, nonprofit manager, real-estate agent and small-business owner.
What goes wrong?
In my experience, the job or perks didn't turn out to be what a worker expected. Lawyers went into law wanting to help people find justice then learned they had to bring in business for their firm. Real-estate agents were frustrated because they weren't making big bucks right away.
What kind of homework should you do when choosing or changing careers?
Two don'ts:
The same logic applies to buying clothing online. A New York Times article this week cited the prediction that fashion — hard enough with the aid of sales clerks — "would be difficult, if not impossible, to translate into the Internet."
But a new report says online sales of clothing have overtaken those of computer hardware and software for the first time since online retailing was born 10 years ago.
People do all kinds of once-unimaginable things remotely — including therapy sessions.
Like some professions, security is overrated. In most every case, it doesn't exist. Do your homework now or you'll pay for it later.
Contact Andrea Kay at andrea@andreakay.com.
