by barraq » Sat Feb 25, 2012 11:20 am
Jaye, you can get a lot of information about various occupations from the US Department of Labor online. For example, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos114 has a lot of information about paralegal job descriptions, educational requirements, etc., and http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes232011.htm provides information about paralegal wages by location. You can find similar information about other occupations by using the search box at the top of their page.
At the moment, there's a real glut of attorneys on the market - so it's tough getting a job if you're hunting for one, and it's tough getting billable hours if you don't already have clientele. In the real estate / zoning world, you might consider becoming a city manager - but that may take some political savvy as well. There are a billion business formation consultants available online, so you'd face stiff competition there.
Time spent researching will help, but in the end, you have to consider your own aptitudes and desires.