Dear Annie: I hope you can give me some advice, because I feel like an idiot. I graduated from a good college, with honors, in June. Most of my classmates are already working at serious corporate jobs or are on their way to grad school. But I just can't seem to figure out what I want to do. I have several different interests, including music, psychology, and writing, but I'm not sure where these might lead (if anywhere). Meanwhile I need to get some kind of a job to start paying off my student loans. Do you, or your readers, have any suggestions on how I can choose a career? -- Wandering Boy

Dear Wandering: Well, first I'd recommend that you get hold of the 2005 edition of Richard Nelson Bolles' classic book, What Color Is Your Parachute? (Ten Speed Press, $17.95 in paperback). It just might spark some ideas that you'll find helpful. Meanwhile, here are a few points to ponder from a man who has dealt with many dissatisfied professionals in his career. Alan L. Sklover (http://www.ExecutiveLaw.com), a New York City attorney who has represented executives in all kinds of negotiations for decades, says that many people don't take the time when they were young to choose the appropriate career. "Many of our clients, especially those in their 40s and 50s, have come to question the career decisions they made" when they were your age, Sklover says. "Most often, they regret not having taken the time to get a wider exposure to the working world before deciding on a chosen field."

The fact that you have several interests is a good thing, in his view. "Apply for every job you can find that is related to any of your interests. Always write down what you like and dislike about the jobs you do, and what you learn about yourself from them," he says. "Sooner or later you'll develop a sense of direction -- and maybe even a passion about what you do for a living."

Sklover calls his approach the Three Exes: Exposure, experience, and excitement. "Don't be afraid to take any job that interests you," he says. "You're not locked in for life. If there's one time you're supposed to take chances, it's while you're younger and relatively free of responsibilities. After that, trying something new takes courage that very few have." Exposure to a wide range of companies and roles can help you find where you belong -- and will make you a more marketable commodity later on too. Likewise, Sklover recommends that, once you find a company or an industry that suits you, try to get "the most varied experience possible within it. Practical skills, once learned, aren't forgotten. Every great building is built one brick at a time." As for the third "ex," excitement, it comes when you've caught a glimpse of work that you can pursue with passion.

Don't rush this process, Sklover says: "If you give yourself the time and opportunity to explore your options, you'll far surpass those classmates of yours who are, from the very beginning of their careers, too consumed with climbing step by step to see the sky over their heads."

Food for thought, no? Readers, what say you? How did you choose a career -- and what, if anything would you do differently if you had the chance to start over?

On another topic altogether, many thanks to those of you who have sent suggestions for the reader who signed herself Butterball in the recent article, "Is Your Job Making You Fat?" and was worried about gaining weight at her desk job. "A sedentary job, along with just getting older, will eventually slow down your metabolism," warns Roger K. " So don't keep junk food in the house. If you haven't got any Cheez Doodles, you can't eat any Cheez Doodles. Right?" Several readers said they make working out for 20 or 30 minutes a day a priority and, in the words of one, "treat it like a regular appointment that you keep as you would any other appointment." Adds JC: "Work out first thing in the morning. I hate getting up early to do it, but I came to the realization that this was the only way it was going to happen, since once I got to the office, I was unable to predict the rest of my day." Many of you strongly recommend the buddy system. "If you have someone to work out with, it's not only more fun, but it keeps you accountable," notes Mary Grace. "Someone will notice and give you a hard time if you don't show up. I have to confess that there are days when the thought of a talking-to from my 'gym buddy' is the only thing that keeps me motivated, and I'm pretty sure she feels the same way." I hear that! Thanks, all!

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