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 your typical chef day. So to get a taste for what this 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 explained. "I asked questions non-stop 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 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, non-profit 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 the 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?

1. Look at trends to analyze whether you can make a living in the profession for a reasonable time into the future. Lists like the magazine's Get-Ahead Careers for 2007 is a place to start, with 25 professions "that will be in growing demand as baby boomers age, the Internet becomes ubiquitous and Americans see richer, simpler lives."

2. Monitor news, proposed legislation and the direction the world is headed to understand events on the horizon that affect the profession you're considering. For example, as the article says, "physician" is on the list, but lengthy training and a "thicket of regulations governing medicine are dimming the allure." Other potential events--like healthcare reform--could affect medical care. With many states passing their own reforms, physicians' salaries could plummet and they could be in for more paperwork.

3. Besides a thorough look at the profession, take a good look at yourself to see if the career matches up with who you are.

Two don'ts:

1. Don't be lured by what's "hot" or where there are openings. A study by Manpower came out with the Ten Hardest Jobs to Fill saying that of more than 2,400 U.S. employers, 41 percent are having difficulty finding the right people to be sales representatives, teachers, technicians, executives, accountants and truck drivers. Does that mean you should shoot for one of these professions? Not necessarily.

2. Don't pick something because you think it offers security. The U.S. News & World Report article references the trend of outsourcing jobs that can be done cheaper overseas and lists desirable careers that require a human touch and "are very resistant to being moved offshore."

This is a similar logic that some had about buying clothing online. A New York Times article 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 the 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.

© 2008 by Andrea Kay