Stresslines Career burnout? Putting the spark back in your practice Career CounselorMondays were the most difficult days. He felt unable to think about the tasks he had set for himself. He knew why it was hard to concentrate: He was tired of the same problems and issues he had dealt with so many times before. He realized that he was utterly bored with his job and felt stagnant, mentally. Is this all there is? Is this what he worked so hard to achieve? W hat can you do when you are bored with your job? Many attorneys eventually experience a sense of understimulation in their work lives as the learning curve flattens out over the years. Adrenaline used to flow when the work was new and fresh, but over time that same work can become commonplace. Understimulation can occur at different points in a career, depending on the type of work you do and the type of person you are, as well as many other factors that can affect your feelings about your work.Under certain circumstances, understimulation at work may be cured by following a totally new career path. There are circumstances that support going for your dream in life. You may be in a position to go for the life you’ve always yearned for as a fiction writer or an aviator; or the moment may be right to take a chance on a business venture. Moving into a new field may jack up the adrenaline and reshape the learning curve, but for some attorneys a radical move may not be feasible, advisable, or timely.For some attorneys, understimulation can be instantly “cured” when life outside of work gets very active or stressful. For example, I was working with a mid-level attorney who began career counseling because she was not challenged by her job. But, after adopting a child, she realized that her understimulating job was a blessing, at least for the time being. Other stresses and physical impairments can alter one’s attitude about understimulating work. Another attorney I worked with who voiced a similar complaint of stagnation at work was relieved to have his dull job when he developed chronic fatigue syndrome.There is a take-home lesson to be gained from these experiences: The perception or sensation of boredom at work can be altered or affected by your life outside of work. A valid way to combat a sense of being “plateaued out” on the job may be to enrich and nourish yourself by developing more of a life both inside and outside your work world.What’s Wrong With Ted?Ted was an income partner at a mid-sized firm. He had established a transactional practice in corporate law that gave him some security. He had a fairly stable berth at a fairly stable firm, a wife, three college-aged kids, a home in Lincoln Park and a summer house in Michigan. His life looked good to the outside world. But Ted felt something was missing. He felt his work life was too dull and predictable.Ted had been valedictorian of his high-school class and an academic star in college as a poly-sci major. He was active in sports, did well in law school, enjoyed traveling, was well-read and loved to write.In high school his dream career had been international news reporting. He imagined the excitement of traveling the world, reporting on developments in a variety of countries on a variety of topics; enjoying what he imagined to be the ever-shifting terrain of the news reporter.As he grew older he thought often about a career in journalism, but was discouraged from pursuing this path because of the lifestyle that went with it. He wondered how he would be able to have a satisfying family life. He realized that there might be dangers involved with the work. He thought that someday he might want a less adventurous lifestyle. He didn’t think that he would be happy taking a senior desk job editing the work of front-line reporters. Ted decided to keep shopping for a career that better suited his lifestyle needs. A career in law seemed to be a good alter native. The law offered greater personal safety, intellectual challenge, and a more stable existence. He did so well on his LSAT exam that he convinced himself that law was his true calling. But after 20 years of practice, he felt profoundly bored. The issues had become too predictable, and his cases offered very little real intellectual challenge. He dreaded going to work to mull over problems he had seen before, for the same types of clients he had served for years.Lately he had had a recurrent dream that he was walking down a long institutional hallway that went on and on. There were repetitive posters on the walls every few feet, and no windows or doors to get out of the place. Ted felt that he understood the emotional message of his dream and signed up for career counseling.When Ted started career counseling, he wanted to leave the law altogether to get a steeper learning curve and more excitement in his life. But a reality check of his lifestyle and the people he cared about — who also relied on his income — caused him to slow down. When we reviewed his priorities, he realized that his highest values were his family and his lifestyle. But a close third priority was to find a way to be more involved in his job and challenged by his work.Ted had a history of becoming bored in school and in a variety of jobs. School had come easily to him. A quick learner, he inhaled information and enjoyed the challenge of learning new things. He was intellectually restless. The acquisition of knowledge was as thrilling for Ted as a new frontier must have been for a pioneer. But once he had acquired information he needed new challenges.Ted required the constant excitement of newness to be satisfied intellectually. How could he achieve that in his current practice? In our counseling work we looked at Ted’s areas of interest to determine the areas of greatest sustainable intellectual challenge. He had gotten interested in computers in the past few years. He enjoyed the rush of information and felt revitalized by his exposure to the rapidly changing world of technology. But he had never considered using his interest in computer technology as a way out of his stagnation at work.Ted began to feel revitalized by pursuing his interest in technology. He took classes in computer programming and spent time working with his own computer. He introduced new technology to his firm and became one of the few people at the firm who was truly knowledgeable about computers. He began to design his own programs. He met other people in the field. The excitement of learning in this new area has caused him to re-engage in the legal practice.Some attorneys need greater intellectual challenge, stimulation, and variety than they can obtain through their jobs. Some of my clients have steepened the learning curve by taking up a foreign language, studying the great books, learning to play the flute, learning to fly an airplane, fiction writing, developing an antique business, creating a greeting card business, learning Japanese cooking, and a host of other pursuits. By following their innate interests, these lawyers tell me they feel a rekindling of excitement and a sense of personal fulfillment that translates into greater energy for other parts of their lives. Sheila Nielsen is president of Nielsen Consulting Service, which provides career counseling for attorneys. Since 1985, Nielsen, a trained social worker and attorney, has counseled hundreds of attorneys dealing with career change and job search issues. This column is published under the sponsorship of the Quality of Life and Career Committee. The committee’s Web site is at www.fla-lap.org/qlsm. The Quality of Life and Career Committee, in cooperation with the Florida State University College of Law, also has an interactive listserv titled “The Healthy Lawyer.” Details and subscription information regarding the listserv can be accessed through the committee’s Web site or by going directly to www.fla-lap.org/qlsm. June 1, 2003 Sheila Nielsen Regular News read more