George Costanza underwent a career change or two over the course of Seinfeld's nine-year run.

George was in real estate when the show debuted in 1989. By the time Jerry and crew were dissecting the minutae of George's shirt buttons in a Massachusetts jail cell, he had somehow acquired a dream gig with the Yankees. In between, he worked — however briefly — as a bra salesman, for an industrial smoothing company, for a playground equipment company ...

And then there were his gigs as an architect and a marine biologist.

Most of us could channel a little George when it comes to our careers. Hopefully, just a little. Some folks spend their entire adult lives searching for that dream vocation. Some know from early on what they'll be doing, then go out and do it and it never seems like work. Others simply collect a paycheck and move on.

Which are you? Determining whether you should pursue a different career path — heck, figuring out what you want to do in the first place — isn't always as easy as it sounds.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, produced by the feds' Bureau of Labor Statistics, can help sort through the questions involved with considering a career change.

It provides information on the training and education required for a particular profession, as well as details on job functions, earnings and working conditions.

If it's time for George to move on to the next job — one with better restrooms and/or prettier cleaning women — make it a part of the search process.