[ISN] Problem 6: Burned Out Yet?

http://blogs.csoonline.com/1181/problem_6_burned_out_yet

By Dan Lohrmann
Lohrmann on GovSpace 
CSO
2010-03-28

"I love my job!" Can you say that? Honestly?

Or, maybe we should take off the exclamation point and change a few 
words around. How about: "My job is pretty cool, and I like being a 
security pro on most days. The pay is decent." 

Or, perhaps you.ve had enough. "I'm fed up at work. Truth be told, I'm 
looking for another job. I'm disgusted with my boss, co-workers, 
customers or (fill in the blank). I need a change of scenery - real bad. 
Driving a truck across the country or plowing snow near some Colorado 
ski resort is sounding pretty good right now."

Most security professionals that I know experience symptoms of burnout 
at some stage in their professional career. In fact, one poll last year 
revealed that over half of the security professionals surveyed were 
unhappy in their jobs. Perhaps you just need to get away on one of those 
Southwest Airlines vacation deals. True, a certain amount of stress 
comes with all jobs, but particular career choices tend to bring more 
burnout than others.

While a comparison between security professionals and doctors who work 
80+ hours a week may seem like a stretch, I do believe that this issue 
is more of a career-killer for security pros than for many other career 
tracks. (One friend commented, "It's true that doctors work long, 
stressful hours, but they get paid for it. We don't.") 

Or perhaps you've already moved to that company across town (or the 
country) - more than once. Your career aspirations aren't being met.  
You've come to the realization that your problems are not 
company-specific or even related to sub-par pay or benefits. You're 
considering a new line of work or at least a different security role.

You might be dealing with:

[...]


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