Much has been whined about intolerable jobs, but you're lucky. You've got a job you like, one you're eager to do every day.

Well, OK. Most days.

Most days, things run smoothly. Even if they don't, it's good. Then there are days where you can't do anything right, you've got sludge for brains, and you think maybe you made a wrong career choice somewhere.

Didn't you want to be a nurse or a scientist or a TV star once upon a time? Why not find out what it's like to actually be a nurse, a scientist, or a TV star? Read The Career Chronicles, by Michael Gregory. It might spur you to reach for your childhood dreams.

The Career Chronicles, by Michael Gregory, c.2008, New World Library, $17.50, 262 pages

After a few years spent in a high-paying, high-frustration job, Gregory realized that it was time to step back and take up a new career. He wanted to be a writer but the problem was, there wasn't anyone to tell him how to do it or where to start. He realized that it must be the same with others who want to switch careers.

In his quest for knowledge (and for this book), Gregory sent surveys to people in several lines of work.

He asked if college gave them a truthful picture of their career. What was the biggest surprise about the job? What kinds of hours were kept? Is there opportunity for advancement, or positive career changes? What are the best and worst parts of the job? And - most telling - he asked those surveyed if they'd choose the same profession again.

Each chapter of this book starts with a basic overlay of the job: What it entails, how it's structured, the training you need, what kind of salary you can expect and what kind of future the career holds.

Then we hear from the trenches, and the surprises are abundant.

Few people say they work less than a 40-plus-hour workweek; some replies are in the three-figure range.

Many claim their college courses didn't prepare them for the "real world.”

Several say overseas outsourcing of their profession is the way of the future.

Many - even those in seemingly bucolic careers - say stress is the thing they hate most about their jobs.

And a lot of them would choose another career if they could.

So why can't they?

Using this book is a great way to pull one's self out of the job doldrums to make a change.

While I looked slightly askance at author Gregory's choice of professions here (I wanted more diversity), I enjoyed reading The Career Chronicles, if nothing but for a curious peek at life on the other side of the desk.

This book - with names omitted to protect the guilty - does plenty of that. Easy to browse and perfect for a collegian who needs direction or anybody who wants to redirect, this book is the right size to tuck in your lunch bag for mealtime reading.

If you're thinking about a career change and need some ideas, The Career Chronicles does the job quite nicely.

(Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was three years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She can be reached at schlichenmeyer@businessedge.ca)