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Exactly what drives people to reach a burnout stage will vary. As we learned
earlier, resiliency can counteract or delay these feelings. Even though some
people will become burned out sooner than others, it is the same type of activities
or situations that contribute to burn out. Common attributes include a lack of
autonomy over your work or the feeling that you never have the time or resources
to complete your tasks and projects to your standards. Sometimes the reason is that
your ethics are not in line with the goals, actions, behaviors, or values of your
organization, or of your role. Employees that do monotonous or low-stimulating
work or who work on a dysfunctional team, report higher levels of burnout.
Many people do not understand that the consequences of burnout can be severe.
It takes a toll on personal and professional relationships. Productivity suffers,
creativity lags, and motivation can be non-existent during a burnout situation.
Energy is spent finding excuses to miss work or take days off sick, rather than getting
the job done. As previously mentioned, professional burnout can affect your
personal life, negatively impacting your well-being and the relationships with your
friends and family.
You can start planning now to avoid burnout in the future by identifying the types
of positions you will be seeking after you graduate and the responsibilities you will
have. If you abhor the idea of working behind a desk, start looking at opportunities
where you can use your education in other ways. Get creative. For example,
rather than working in an office, consider positions like insurance adjuster, park
ranger, or direct sales, where your role would allow you to be mobile.
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Section 18 – Planning For Your Future