3.Stay out of activities where the chances are only one out of ten of your being able to make a living.As an example，take selling life insurance.Each year countless thousands of men—frequently unemployed men—start out trying to sell life insurance without bothering to find out in advance what is likely to happen to them！Here is approximately what does happen，according to Franklin L.Bettger，Real Estate Trust Building，Philadelphia.For twenty years Mr.Bettger was one of the outstandingly successful insurance salesmen in America.He declares that ninety per cent of the men who start selling life insurance get so heartsick and discouraged that they give it up within a year.Out of the ten who remain，one man will sell ninety per cent of the insurance sold by the group of ten；and the other nine will sell only ten per cent.To put it another way：if you start selling life insurance，the chances are nine to one that you will fail and quit within twelve months，and the chances are only one in a hundred that you will make ten thousand a year out of it.Even if you remain at it，the chances are only one out of ten that you will be able to do anything more than barely scratch out a living.
4.Spend weeks—even months，if necessary—finding out all you can about an occupation before deciding to devote your life to it！How？By interviewing men and women who have already spent ten，twenty，or forty years in that occupation.
These interviews may have a profound effect on your future.I know that from my own experience.When I was in my earlytwenties，I sought the vocational advice of two older men.As I look back now，I can see that those two interviews were turning points in my career.In fact，it would be difficult for me even to imagine what my life would have been like had I not had those two interviews.
How can you get these vocational-guidance interviews？To illustrate，let’s suppose that you are thinking about studying to be an architect.Before you make your decision，you ought to spend weeks interviewing the architects in your city and in adjoining cities.You can get their names and addresses out of a classified telephone directory.You can call at their offices either with or without an appointment.If you wish to make an appointment，write them something like this：
Won’t you please do me a little favour？I want your advice.I am eighteen years old，and I am thinking about studying to be an architect.Before I make up my mind，I would like to ask your advice.
If you are too busy to see me at your office，I would be most grateful if you would grant me the privilege of seeing you for half an hour at your home.
Here is a list of questions I would like to ask you：
a.If you had your life to live over，would you become an architect again？
b.After you have sized me up，I want to ask you whether you think I have what it takes to succeed as an architect.
c.Is the profession of architecture overcrowded？
d.If I studied architecture for four years，would it be difficult for me to get a job？What kind of job would I have to take at first？
e.If I had average ability，how much could I hope to earnduring the first five years？
f.What are the advantages and disadvantages of being an architect？
g.If I were your son，would you advise me to become an architect？
If you are timid，and hesitate to face a “big shot”alone，here are two suggestions that will help.
First，get a lad of your own age to go with you.The two of you will bolster up one another’s confidence.If you haven’t someone of your own age to go with you，ask your father to go with you.
Second，remember that by asking his advice you are paying this man a compliment.He may feel flattered by your request.Remember that adults like to give advice to young men and women.The architect will probably enjoy the interview.
If you hesitate to write letters asking for an appointment，then go to a man’s office without an appointment and tell him you would be most grateful if he would give you a bit of advice.Suppose you call on five architects and they are all too busy to see you （which isn’t likely），call on five more.Some of them will see you and give you priceless advice-advice that may save you years of lost time and heartbreak.
Remember that you are making one of the two most vital and far-reaching decisions of your life.So，take time to get the facts before you act.If you don’t，you may spend half a lifetime regretting it.
If you can afford to do so，offer to pay a man for a half-hour of his time and advice.
5.Get over the mistaken belief that you are fitted for only a single occupation！Every normal person can succeed at a number of occupations，and every normal person would probably fail in many occupations.Take myself，for example：if I had studied and prepared myself for the following occupations，I believe I would have had a good chance of achieving some small measure ofsuccessand also of enjoying my work.I refer to such occupations as farming，fruit growing，scientific agriculture，medicine，selling，advertising，editing a country newspaper，teaching，and forestry.On the other hand，I am sure I would have been unhappy，and a failure，at bookkeeping，accounting，engineering，operating a hotel or a factory，architecture，all mechanical trades，and hundreds of other activities.