Experts Offer Tips For Beating Career Blues

SANDY SHORE

DENVER (AP) — You drag yourself out of bed, head reluctantly to work and watch the minutes tick off the clock. Even a grocery list seems like more fun than your job, and you dream of being just about any place else.

You may have a case of the career blues, stuck in a position that has become boring and lost the challenge that made you take it in the first place.

It may not be necessary to look for a new job. There are simple steps you can take to get back some professional fulfillment.

"Look, you're going to work for a long time in your life so you've got to get some enjoyment out of it," said Bob Kustka, president of Fusion Factor, a workplace consultancy in Norwell, Mass.

Here are some ideas about how to pump up your career and make it fun again.

STUCK IN A RUT

Enthusiasm for a job can fade when you're not given new tasks to keep you motivated, said Kimberly Bowen, founder of career consulting firm Career Life Designs near Annapolis, Md.

"That's a very common issue for a lot of people," she said. "They really don't want to go to work. They can't wait to get home. They feel very stale, just not enthusiastic anymore. They need something more."