Q. I'm just out of school and could pursue a number of different career paths. I've been researching career salaries, incomes and outlooks, and I'm more confused now. What do you tell your clients who are trying to settle on one career path?

A. I tell my clients to worry less about choosing one career path and worry more about choosing a life path.

Careers that enrich our lives and our pocketbooks are a good fit because they fit nicely within the larger context of our lives. Jobs that make us miserable make us pretend to be people we aren't or inhabit lives we don't like.

You've done a good job getting facts about your career options but you are right that you can't make this decision on facts alone.

A great metaphor for career navigation is the Internet tool called "Google Earth." When you download the software, you can type in any destination and the software literally flies you there.

Once you arrive, you can keep getting a closer view of the area or zoom out for an aerial overview. When my clients are stuck with career decisions, I find they are zoomed in staring at the street signs of their job choices. I ask them instead to zoom out to be able to imagine first the ideal life they want.

Try this exercise. Throw all limits out the window and write a one-page story about an ideal day in your life. What do you see first thing in the morning? Who is there? What do you do first? Write with as much detail as you can muster about your life that day until you close your eyes at night.

Do not let reality get in the way of what you write. You'll have an easier time addressing your limits later if you aim for the stars first. Continued...