Career counselors provide guidance on job changes.

OK, so you're an executive in a mid-career slump and you're thinking maybe it wasn't such a great idea to follow in your father's footsteps as a stock-broker.

The long hours are a killer, finding new clients isn't as easy as it used to be and, hey, you've always wondered what it would be like to be an advertising executive - or maybe a real estate agent.

If you're really serious about making the change - and you're ready to spend some cash exploring your options - your first step might be visiting a career counselor.

Although there are no hard numbers for how many career counselors practice in Los Angeles, the National Board for Certified Counselors Inc. in Greensboro, N.C., lists more than 35 of its certified career counselors as being located in L.A. and surrounding cities.

There are countless other career counselors who may not be certified with the national board but who counsel in settings ranging from high schools and universities to private practices and out-placement firms.

Dean Porter, owner of Consultants in Career Development in Long Beach, said that most career counselors have master's degrees in counseling and have taken additional courses in the field.

Porter, who has been a career counselor for 18 years, said that executives interested in a career change are more likely to go to someone like her than to a college extension course or workshop.

"They're not going to have the time or the patience," Porter said. "Executives will probably want one-on-one consultation by appointment with a professional."

Porter, who sees about 20 people a week, said her plan for counseling varies significantly based on the needs of the client, hut typically involves six to seven sessions.

During those sessions, Porter identifies the client's needs, administers skill and interest tests, identifies the client's life goals and helps the client develop a plan for what he or she will do once counseling is complete.

A one-and-a-half-hour session with Porter runs $100, and a complete seven-session program typically runs $750, including test-taking and workbook materials.

Susan W. Miller, a career counselor in L.A.'s Miracle Mile district, said that a large number of clients she sees only need one or two sessions.

"In the course of a year, we see over 200 private practice career counseling clients," Miller said of her firm, Vocational Training Consulting Services. "Career counseling by nature is short term."

Miller's rates are similar to Porter's - $75 an hour. Miller said that although her average client tends to visit her only a few times, she does have clients she works with for longer periods of time, including one she's been counseling for more than a year.

Miller and Porter - as well as other career counselors - rely on standardized tests to help them evaluate their clients' interests and preferences - the most common being the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory. Some counselors also use a third test, the Career Beliefs Inventory.

Both Porter and Miller also ask their clients to fill out worksheets to help them assess their skills, identify their long-term goals and decide what they are looking for in a job.

For executives considering a career change but not ready to see a career counselor, other options exist.

Many university alumni associations hold annual or semi-annual career workshops and seminars.

UCLA's alumni association, for example, offers an annual career transition retreat, an annual career conference and job fair, and weekly workshops. Workshops cost between $15 and $30, while day-long seminars range from $65 to $85.

Cindy Chernow, director of alumni career services at UCLA, said that hundreds of executives looking to make a career change visit the workshops and conferences each year.

"They're saying, 'I don't want to be a lawyer. I don't want to be in sales. Life's too short, and this is not where I want to be,'" she said.

RELATED ARTICLE: Testing Your Career

Career counselors use three major tests to evaluate clients' interests and preferences. Here are sample questions from each of the three tests. There are no right or wrong answers.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

* Do you prefer to

(A) arrange dates, parties, etc., well in advance, or

(B) be free to do whatever looks like fun when the times comes?

* What word in each pair appeals to you more?

(A) quick

(B) careful

* Are you

(A) easy to get to know, or

(B) hard to get to know?

Strong Interest Inventory

* Which activity do you prefer?

(A) dealing with things

(B) dealing with people

* Do the following personality traits describe you, yes or no?

1. prefer working alone rather than on committees

2. have patience when teaching others

3. can communicate easily with people of different cultures

Career Beliefs Inventory

Choose from responses ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree."

1. I want to become like a particular person I know.

2. Everything depends on my making the right career choice now.

3. Once I make a career decision, I will stick to it.

Source: Consulting Psychologists Press Inc.