Dear Joyce: I am 45 and for the past five years I have been a teacher in a middle school. I am so turned off that I no longer like children. I would prefer to stay in education but need to identify my marketable skills and abilities. Next steps? -- N.S.

Dear Joyce: I am a divorced mother of two and have been a criminal law attorney for the last 15 years. At 45 I would like to find a completely different profession, perhaps unrelated to the law. Are there career counseling or other resources to assist me in making a change? -- Y.Y.G.

Dear Joyce: For the past four years I have been employed as a family therapist for a social service agency. I am experiencing severe burnout and need to make a career change. I would prefer to make a career change that does not require additional education. Do you have resource suggestions? -- M.S.N.

Dear N.S., Y.Y.G. and M.S.N.: Each of these women has flamed out, but they're unsure about which fire department to call. Anyone feeling this kind of heat has a No. 1 task: Write down every rotten thing and type of irritating person you never want to experience again. Post the list prominently on your mirror to buck up your resolve and avoid reruns. Then think hard about whether your discontent is really traceable to a personal situation such as labor overload at home, revolting developments in your job such as abusive management, or whether the real problem is that your profession has changed and you don't like the direction in which it's going.

Take physicians, for instance. A certain aura about medicine no longer exists. In the 1970s, patients entered the hospital as much as three days before surgery and didn't leave until they felt better. Their doctors were firmly in charge, had the time to know patients as people and were often rewarded with gratitude.

Today, doctors live in a health care system ruled by the pressure to cut costs. Their prerogatives are challenged, and they must document everything for second-guessing insurance companies. Patients go by in a blur when doctors are scheduled to see a patient every eight minutes. "Drive-thru" surgery is common, as patients leave quicker and sicker. Little wonder that medical school enrollments are down. Yet life could get worse for individuals choosing a medical career. In 2025, say forecasters, impersonal health kiosks at malls, able to measure vital signs and diagnose problems, may replace visits to the doctor.

In other fields, the Internet has altered the nature of certain work, sometimes improving it but usually stripping away human interaction. Stockbrokers can no longer get by merely conducting trades and schmoozing clients. Employment managers no longer process stacks of paper résumés but click through keywords. Travel agents book far fewer airline reservations. So, ask yourself: How has teaching, criminal law and social work changed over the years? Do those changes offer clues to your wanting out? If so, can you think of remedies that would permit recommitment and, not inconsequentially, maintain your earning power?

No? Then answers to the what-else-can-I-do question are easier to find today. Punch up a search engine -- my current favorite is www.google.com -- on your computer and probe under "alternatives to teaching careers (or law careers or social service careers)." You'll find a spectrum of resources, from books and workshops to Web sites and career counselors.

Additionally, you'll find lengthy tutorials with career-changing formulas. A synopsis: Find out what you're good at (survey people who know you and look for common threads; write a diary of your life and sift it for accomplishments and good times; take tests). Include your values, personality and lifestyle preferences. Find out what kinds of jobs are out there (research printed and online resources -- get leads from www.rileyguide.com). Test re-planning with internships and informational interviews.

Success in starting over depends on a correct analysis of what went wrong. When your profession has changed for the worse, some parts of it may be salvageable -- such as teaching adults, litigating civil cases and social planning for government agencies.

Send career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007, or e-mail her at jlk@sunfeatures.com. Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.

© 2000, Los Angeles Times Syndicate