E-Mail This Article

Putting the shine back on 'rusted-out' career

There are plenty of solutions for those feeling stuck in job

By Joan Axelrod-Contrada, Globe Correspondent, 6/29/03

Margaret Lobenstine was getting tired of serving breakfast at her inn seven days a week.

''Originally, I loved doing breakfast,'' said Lobenstine, 59, who eventually left inn-keeping and is now writing a book about careers for people who crave change and variety. ''The irony is that, once I had everything figured out, it looked like I was making progress. The inn was full, and I had breakfast down to a science. Nothing was really going wrong. I was just getting bored.''

Lobenstine was suffering from ''rust-out,'' a condition specialists say is different from, but can lead to, burnout. While burnout usually involves an element of being overworked, rust-out comes simply from being in the same job for too long. Sufferers aren't so much exhausted as bored. Specialists say that rust-out is generally easier to address than burnout, which tends to carry more psychological baggage. But since the two conditions overlap, solutions for rust-out can work for burnout, too.

Initially, Lobenstine, who lives in Belchertown, saw no solution to her breakfast problem. She had already experimented with hundreds of recipes and wasn't interested in trying more. Finally, her husband suggested that she simply not serve breakfast a couple of days a week.

''I looked at him like he was stark, raving mad,'' Lobenstine recalled. ''How could I have a bed and breakfast and not serve breakfast?''

Then she figured out a way. Two days a week, she'd give customers vouchers for breakfast at local restaurants. ''Knowing that I had addressed the rust-out issue made the other five days more bearable,'' she said.

Solutions like Lobenstine's can help workers stay put - without feeling stuck - in jobs that are less than ideal. Barbara Reinhold, author of ''Toxic Work: How to Overcome Stress, Overload, and Burnout and Revitalize Your Career'' and director of the Smith College Career Development Office, says that people suffering from rust-out have three options: dead work, new work, or revitalized work.

Since finding new work isn't always possible in today's tough job market, career revitalization becomes especially important. A career, says Reinhold, involves more than just the job itself. It also includes education, training, and networking. So, even if the job stays the same, you can revitalize your career by making changes in the other areas.

Reinhold points to a writer who started making jewelry, which stimulated another part of her brain, thus making her writing easier and more gratifying. Courses to advance your career can also help with rust-out. Larry Elle, for instance, found that going to school part time to earn his master's degree in social work helped him cope with a problematic job in a psychiatric hospital.

''I could see the light at the end of the tunnel,'' said Elle, 59, who now owns a career development business, Success Associates in Boston, and organizes the WIND-South networking group. ''I knew I was getting another credential.''

In another brush with rust-out, Elle tried - without much luck - to bring more variety to his position. ''I wanted to spread my wings to give some new workshops, but I wasn't able to pull it off,'' said Elle. ''I didn't have the best relationship with my boss. In that case, I rusted out the door.''

Indeed, the support - or lack of it - from an employer can be crucial in determining whether career revitalization will happen within or outside an employee's organization. If an employer believes strongly in professional development and offers an array of options, such as job switching, executive coaching, leadership roles, and flexible work hours, career revitalization is likely to be easier.

But not all employers are so supportive. Specialists say, employers who fail to reward good work perpetuate a system of ''learned helplessness'' among employees that breeds rust-out. In such cases, employees ultimately might want to find a new job, but they''ll want to leave on their own schedule.

''The key is to take initiative,'' said Stephanie Legatos, a career counselor and coach in Ipswich. ''There are many ways to fight a sense of stagnation.''

Richard Darveau, a principal in Jandl Associates, an outplacement and business consulting firm in Reading, encourages clients to make a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Plan A might involve steps to improve your current position or seek a transfer within the company. Plan B might involve boosting your skills by taking advantage of programs offered through a professional association. ''Understanding the latest developments and being on the cutting edge of practices should be part of any plan,'' explained Darveau.

Sometimes, though, a client will need to move on to Plan C and seek a new position outside of the company if the situation doesn't improve by a certain date.

Having a satisfying life outside of work can also help you cope with rust-out. Joseph DiJulia, a 56-year-old public sector manager who lives in Wilmington, said that getting his children through college and having an understanding spouse help him cope with his job.

While you might think of a new job as your ultimate salvation, specialists believe that you should first make an effort to enrich the job you already have. Joan Cirillo, executive director of Operation A.B.L.E., which creates opportunities for mature workers, recommends joining a company task force that gives you exposure to higher-level colleagues and a chance to learn about an issue of interest to help you feel more connected to your employer.

Switching to a different position within the company can also give you a much-needed boost. Mark Cardono, 39, of Reading, began his career as an engineer, designing and implementing heating and air conditioning systems for electric vehicles.

''Then, about a year later, I dreaded going to work,'' he said. ''I did not like being micromanaged on the work I was doing.''

Cardono, who had always liked computers, decided to try his hand at creating a database for the parts of the vehicle. Before long, people in the company began turning to him for computer advice. Cardono was able to phase out his engineering work and take over the company's IT division. ''I loved the work,'' he said. ''The other benefit was that the CEO knew little about computers and so could not micromanage me.'' However, three months ago, Cardono lost the job and is currently looking for an IT position with a nonprofit firm.

Although layoffs are often devastating, they can also be something of a blessing in disguise, offering an opportunity for much-needed refueling. Even those clinging to their jobs are unlikely to stay with the same employer for 40 years. Work has become more fluid, with contract work and early retirement helping to prevent rust-out in certain fields.

In other fields, rust-out is still common. Often, Reinhold said, people who have invested years of schooling in their careers deny, even to themselves, that they're suffering from rust-out.

Some people are more prone to rust-out than others simply because they crave change. Lobenstine, whose book, ''Secrets of the Renaissance Soul: How to Make 'Too Many Interests' Work for You,'' is due out in 2005, coaches people who, like herself, are susceptible to rust-out. In one former instance of workplace tedium, Lobenstine wrote descriptive notes about everyone who walked in the door as part of an effort to hone her skills as a playwright.

''I'd watch people so carefully, I could describe how to cast them,'' Lobenstine said. ''I looked at it as a free year of graduate school.''

Joan Axelrod-Contrada is a freelance writer and author. She can be reached at axelrodcon@aol.com.

E-Mail This Article