Cherniss' hypothesizes that the degree of occupational stress and burnout a person experiences is influenced by the degree of fit between a person's career orientation and the actual work setting. Cherniss' typologies of initial career orientations are "self-investors," for whom work is secondary to their personal lives outside of work; the "social activist," for whom work is a crusade to change the status quo; the "careerist," for whom work is a competition with peers to obtain recognition, status, and financial rewards; and the "artisan," for whom work involves personal growth, professional development, challenge, and the mastery of new skills. In this study to test Cherniss' model, subjects were asked to identify which of the four career orientations best fit their attitudes. All four of the orientations were held by a reasonable number of respondents. The remainder of the questionnaire explored work attitudes. The "social activist" and "self-investor" were prime candidates for work dissatisfaction, alienation, and poor physical and emotional well-being later in their careers. Those with the "artisan" orientation appeared best equipped to meet the demands of policework and least susceptible to burnout. 2 figures, 1 references.