Q. I hate my job as a computer consultant. The aptitude tests say I should be a recreation specialist. I like the idea but I dread returning to school for a new degree.

A. Before you invest in a degree, take a test drive. Find two or three people who are doing what you want to do and ask to spend a day or a week with them.

If you're still interested, visit a few schools or universities that offer degrees in your area of interest. Talk to students who have graduated one, three and five years ago.

Ask the alumni, "Did this degree help you get your job? "Advance in your job? "Would you have done better with a degree from another school? Or would you have done as well with a degree from a lower-ranked or less expensive school?"

Ask students and alumni, not faculty or staff. Professors must support their own programs, even when they want to say, "You can do better elsewhere," or, "This program is a waste of your time and money."

And these days, anyone with a title like "Admissions Director" or "Enrollment Management" may be trying to make a sale, not offer objective guidance. If you believe your new career requires you to quit your job and begin a full- time degree program, investigate alternatives.

Don't get locked into an educational goal. You may find an equally satisfying career that offers on-the-job training. No degree program offers a magic bullet. Ultimately you may win the job and career success by your power networking as well as your social, interpersonal and technical skills.